The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced on April 3 that it filed immigration-related criminal charges against 226 individuals during enforcement operations conducted from March 28 through April 3, 2026.
The announcement underscores ongoing efforts to address unlawful immigration and related criminal conduct in the region. Of those charged, authorities filed cases against 117 individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States and charged another 95 with illegal entry. Additionally, prosecutors brought charges against 14 people alleged to have smuggled undocumented immigrants into or within Arizona.
Federal law enforcement agencies supporting these cases include 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 cases highlighted by officials include United States v. Porfirio Astorga-Rivera, who was charged with bringing an alien to the United States unlawfully for profit after allegedly leading a group through an opening in the border wall near Wellton, Arizona; and United States v. Idefonso Beltran-Aispuro, who faces similar charges after reportedly guiding four individuals across rugged terrain between mountain ranges while being promised $1,000 per person.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at repelling illegal immigration and targeting cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations by coordinating resources from Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Officials emphasized that a criminal complaint is only a formal accusation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
