The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced on Mar. 13 that it brought immigration-related criminal charges against 197 individuals during enforcement operations conducted from Mar. 7 through Mar. 13, 2026.
The announcement highlights ongoing efforts to deter unlawful immigration in the region. Of those charged, the United States filed 132 cases involving illegal re-entry and charged another 59 individuals with illegal entry into the country. Additionally, six cases were filed against people accused of smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
Federal law enforcement agencies supported these actions, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Recent cases include United States v. Marcos Antonio Arguelles-Miranda, who was charged by criminal complaint on Mar. 6 with bringing in illegal aliens after agents tracked footprints near Gila Bend and found three individuals under a tree. The two others identified Arguelles-Miranda as their foot guide and said he had abandoned another person who could no longer walk; all three were confirmed to be citizens of Mexico unlawfully present in the United States.
Another case is United States v. Saul Rodriguez-Vazquez, who was charged with transportation of illegal aliens for profit and placing lives in jeopardy after a vehicle pursuit ended at an immigration checkpoint. According to a female passenger from Guatemala who jumped from Rodriguez-Vazquez’s moving vehicle during the chase, "salta a la verga," Rodriguez-Vazquez told her before she exited while it was still moving.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources to address illegal immigration and target cartels and transnational criminal organizations through programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Officials remind that a criminal complaint is only an accusation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
