The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced on July 31 its immigration enforcement statistics for the past month. The office, working with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and other agencies, outlined criminal charges brought in New Mexico during a four-week period ending July 31.
According to the announcement, 112 individuals were charged with illegal reentry after deportation under federal law. Another 24 individuals faced charges related to alien smuggling. Additionally, 189 individuals were charged with illegal entry offenses. Forty-nine people were charged both with illegal entry and violations related to military security regulations and entering military property; these cases stemmed from incidents at a newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
The office said many defendants charged under illegal reentry statutes had prior convictions for crimes such as narcotics trafficking, alien smuggling, theft, resisting arrest, grand theft, forgery, weapons trafficking, transportation of stolen property, child molestation, shoplifting, driving under the influence (DUI), and previous immigration offenses.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative by the Department of Justice aiming to address illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The statistics provided reflect only those prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico; they do not include individuals processed administratively by immigration officials without criminal prosecution. The office said that public safety and border security remain top priorities under current leadership. Enhanced enforcement efforts have resulted in apprehending individuals involved in unlawful activity or serious crimes, including human trafficking and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico covers 33 counties along a 180-mile international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys based in Albuquerque and Las Cruces collaborate directly with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related cases.