During the week of January 10 to January 16, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 136 individuals with immigration-related offenses. Of these, 76 cases involved charges against individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States after removal. Another 39 people were charged with illegal entry into the country.
In efforts to address unlawful immigration activities in Arizona, authorities also filed 19 cases against a total of 21 individuals alleged to have participated in smuggling people into or within the district.
The investigations and subsequent charges were supported by several federal law enforcement agencies. These included Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
One highlighted case was United States v. Elias Alfonso Diaz-Martinez. On January 12, Diaz-Martinez was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien after being stopped by a Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy for speeding on Interstate 10. The officer observed signs consistent with human smuggling inside the vehicle. Immigration checks revealed that Diaz-Martinez is a Venezuelan citizen unlawfully present in the United States; his passenger is a Mexican citizen also without legal status.
“A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” stated officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Further information about ongoing work from this office can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
