During a week of enforcement operations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 177 individuals with immigration-related criminal conduct. From June 14 to June 20, 2025, federal charges were filed in 80 cases involving illegal re-entry into the United States and in 87 cases concerning illegal entry. Additionally, nine cases were brought against ten individuals accused of smuggling illegal aliens into and within Arizona.
The efforts were supported by federal law enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (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).
Several notable cases included United States v. Heriberto Medina on June 16, where Medina was charged after attempting to transport an illegal alien hidden in his vehicle through the Douglas Port of Entry. On June 17, Carlos Barrera-Aguilar was arrested near Wellton, Arizona; he had been previously removed from the U.S. three times and had a prior felony conviction for burglary. He was charged with Illegal Re-entry. Another case involved Juan Carlos Morales-Chavez on June 18, who was found possessing a handgun during an arrest for an administrative immigration violation.
“A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt,” clarifies the statement from authorities regarding these charges.
These actions are part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
