The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced on March 20 that it charged 185 individuals with immigration-related crimes during enforcement operations conducted from March 14 through March 20, 2026. The charges include cases of illegal re-entry, illegal entry, and smuggling of undocumented immigrants within the district.
According to the announcement, federal authorities filed 108 cases involving illegal re-entry into the United States and charged 53 individuals with illegal entry. Additionally, prosecutors brought forward 20 cases against a total of 24 people accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants.
These enforcement actions were supported by several federal law enforcement 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, 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).
Recent notable cases include United States v. Ruby Chaidez, in which Chaidez was charged with transportation of an illegal alien after a traffic stop led to the discovery of an undocumented individual hiding in a vehicle trunk; United States v. Esteban Caldera-Serrato, who was charged with re-entry after removal following a prior felony conviction; and United States v. Aaron Cruz-Valderas, who was charged with transportation of an illegal alien for profit after attempting to evade Border Patrol agents.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative aimed at countering unlawful immigration and dismantling criminal organizations involved in such activities by leveraging resources from Department of Justice programs like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Officials emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
