During the week of January 31 through February 6, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 139 individuals with immigration-related crimes. Of these, 84 cases involved illegal re-entry into the United States, while 40 cases were for illegal entry. In addition, authorities filed charges in 13 cases against 15 people accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants within or into Arizona.
Federal agencies such as 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) assisted in these cases.
Two recent cases were highlighted by prosecutors:
In United States v. Pedro Nunez-Espino, Nunez-Espino was charged on February 6 with re-entry after removal from the country. He had previously been deported on May 3, 2015, following a felony conviction for possession of narcotic drugs for sale in Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. His sentence included six months in prison and three years’ probation.
In United States v. Pedro Cazares-Diaz, Cazares-Diaz was charged on February 4 with re-entry after removal. He had been deported on May 18, 2010, after being convicted in California’s San Diego South County Division Superior Court of assault with a deadly weapon or force likely to cause great bodily injury and receiving stolen property—both felonies. He received concurrent sentences totaling two years and one year four months.
“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,” according to the statement from prosecutors.
For more information about the District of Arizona’s U.S. Attorney’s Office and its activities related to immigration enforcement, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
