During a week-long enforcement operation from January 24 to January 30, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 200 individuals with immigration-related crimes. Of these, 109 cases involved charges against individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States after removal. An additional 72 individuals were charged with illegal entry into the country.
The office also pursued cases against those allegedly facilitating unlawful immigration. Fourteen cases were filed against 18 people suspected of smuggling undocumented immigrants into and within Arizona. Federal prosecutors additionally charged one individual with assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
Federal agencies supporting or referring these cases included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
One case highlighted by authorities was United States v. Gustavo Duarte-Corona. According to court documents, Duarte-Corona was charged on January 29, 2026, with re-entry after removal. He had previously been removed from the United States in March 1997 following a felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Oregon’s Multnomah County Circuit Court. In that earlier case, he received an 18-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release.
"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 the release.
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
