ARIZONA FEDERAL PROSECUTORS CHARGE 289 PEOPLE IN ONE WEEK OF IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Federal prosecutors in Arizona charged 289 people with immigration-related criminal offenses during enforcement operations conducted from September 12 through September 18, continuing a sustained series of federal prosecutions involving unlawful entry, reentry after removal, and alleged alien-smuggling activity across the state.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona reported that 152 cases involved people accused of illegally reentering the United States after removal, while another 113 individuals were charged with illegal entry. Prosecutors also filed 21 cases against 24 defendants accused of smuggling people into or within the District of Arizona.

The cases were referred or supported by multiple federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, 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.

The latest numbers continue a substantial level of federal immigration prosecution in Arizona. During the previous reporting period, September 5 through September 11, prosecutors charged 306 individuals, including 145 people in reentry cases, 137 charged with illegal entry, and 24 defendants accused in smuggling cases. One week earlier, covering August 29 through September 4, the district reported charges against 265 people.

Taken together, those three reporting periods account for 860 people charged between August 29 and September 18. The totals include 425 defendants in reentry cases, 374 people charged with illegal entry, and 61 defendants accused in smuggling-related cases. The figures show that reentry prosecutions continue to represent one of the largest categories of immigration-related criminal enforcement handled by the District of Arizona.

Federal law treats improper entry and reentry after removal as separate offenses. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1325, improper entry includes entering or attempting to enter the United States at a place not designated by immigration officers, avoiding examination or inspection, or obtaining entry through willful misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact. A first offense can carry up to six months of imprisonment, while subsequent offenses can carry up to two years.

Reentry after removal is governed by 8 U.S.C. § 1326. The statute applies to a person who has previously been denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed and later enters, attempts to enter, or is found in the United States without the required authorization. Penalties can become more serious depending on the defendant’s immigration and criminal history.

Federal alien-smuggling and transportation offenses fall under 8 U.S.C. § 1324. The statute criminalizes specified conduct involving bringing, transporting, moving, harboring, or concealing people who are unlawfully present when the required knowledge or reckless disregard is established.

Among the cases highlighted by federal prosecutors is United States v. Brandon Hernandez, et al. Brandon Hernandez and Kelssy Ayleen Urzua, both U.S. citizens, were charged by criminal complaint on September 11 with conspiracy to transport an illegal alien.

According to the complaint allegations described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Hernandez, with Urzua seated in the front passenger seat. The deputy allegedly observed two men wearing camouflage clothing concealed in the rear seating area. Border Patrol agents responded and determined that one man was a citizen of Mexico and the other a citizen of El Salvador, and that both were unlawfully present in the United States. The matter is identified as Case No. 26-MJ-5460.

A second highlighted case involves Javier Chavez-Flores, who was charged by criminal complaint on September 11 with reentry of a removed alien.

Federal prosecutors stated that Chavez-Flores had previously been removed from the United States in February 2026. Before that removal, he had been convicted in Minnesota state court of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a victim described in court records as mentally impaired or helpless. He received a sentence of 253 days in prison and five years of probation in that case. The Arizona reentry charge remains a separate pending criminal matter identified as Case No. 26-MJ-5453.

The distinction is important: Chavez-Flores’ Minnesota criminal sexual conduct case resulted in a conviction. His federal reentry case in Arizona is a new accusation brought by criminal complaint and has not resulted in a conviction based on the information released by federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also identified United States v. Leonel Esteban Loreto. Loreto was charged by criminal complaint on September 14 with transportation of an illegal alien for profit.

According to federal prosecutors, Border Patrol agents near Naco, Arizona, observed Loreto driving a Chevrolet Tahoe on September 11 along a road associated with smuggling activity. Agents reported that the vehicle reversed direction less than a minute later.

When agents attempted to conduct an immigration stop, Loreto allegedly failed to yield and accelerated to speeds between 90 and 100 mph before eventually stopping. Agents then found a rear-seat passenger wearing camouflage clothing. Authorities determined that the passenger was a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States. The case is identified as No. 26-MJ-09711.

The three highlighted matters also show the different forms federal immigration prosecutions can take. One involves two U.S. citizens accused of transporting people unlawfully present in the country. Another involves a previously removed individual who had an earlier criminal conviction. The third involves an alleged for-profit transportation operation accompanied by a high-speed attempt to avoid Border Patrol agents.

None of the new complaint-stage charges establishes guilt.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation used to initiate a federal criminal case. Hernandez, Urzua, Chavez-Flores, and Loreto are presumed innocent of the current federal charges unless and until the government proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The September 18 enforcement figures add to a broader pattern of high-volume immigration prosecutions in the District of Arizona. The district has repeatedly reported weekly totals in the hundreds during 2026, with separate cases involving unlawful entry, reentry following removal, smuggling, transportation, and related federal offenses. Earlier this year, the district reported weekly totals of 310 defendants for July 18 through July 24 and 293 defendants for August 22 through August 28.

Arizona’s position along the international border places the district at the center of federal immigration and smuggling enforcement. The current prosecution numbers also demonstrate that border enforcement does not end when a person crosses into the United States. Federal cases can arise from the initial entry, return after a previous removal, transportation inside the country, concealment, harboring, or organized smuggling activity.

The September 18 report represents one week of criminal charging activity rather than a final accounting of convictions or sentences. Each defendant’s case will proceed separately through the federal court system, and the government will be required to prove the charged offenses under the applicable federal statutes.

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