During the week of February 7 to February 13, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 155 individuals with immigration-related offenses. Of these cases, 99 involved charges against individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States after removal, while another 40 cases addressed illegal entry into the country. In addition, federal prosecutors filed charges in 13 cases against a total of 16 people alleged to have smuggled others into or within Arizona.
The enforcement actions were supported by several federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among recent cases highlighted by officials:
In United States v. Luis Miguel Salas-Blanco, Salas-Blanco was charged on February 10 with reentry after removal from the United States. He had previously been deported on October 7, 2021 following felony convictions for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person and forgery-possession of a forged instrument in Maricopa County Superior Court. Salas-Blanco received concurrent sentences of two and a half years’ imprisonment for each count.
In United States v. Fileman Gomez-Casteneda, Gomez-Casteneda was charged with bringing an alien to the United States unlawfully after being found near Interstate 8 along with four other individuals hiding under a tree and wearing camouflage clothing. All five were identified as citizens of Mexico who were unlawfully present in the country.
Officials emphasized that "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."
For more information about the activities and responsibilities of this office, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
