During the week of August 23 to August 29, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 233 individuals with immigration-related criminal offenses. Of these, 107 cases involved charges against individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States, while another 108 were charged with illegal entry. Additionally, authorities filed 16 cases against 18 people alleged to have smuggled illegal aliens into and within Arizona.
Federal law enforcement agencies that referred or supported these cases include Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among recent cases highlighted by officials:
United States v. Raymundo Barretero-Fernandez: On August 27, 2025, Raymundo Barretero-Fernandez, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Illegal Re-entry. In 2019, Barretero-Fernandez was convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma of Conspiracy to Possess Heroin with Intent to Distribute and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison and subsequently removed from the United States. Barretero-Fernandez then re-entered the United States without legal permission or authority.
United States v. Jose Luis Nunez-Sandoval: On August 29, 2025, Jose Luis Nunez-Sandoval, a Mexican citizen, was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien and Illegal Re-entry. According to court documents, on August 27, 2025, Nunez-Sandoval was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol while traveling on Interstate 40 with two passengers. Agents determined that Nunez-Sandoval and the passengers were unlawfully present in the United States.
These actions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels as well as transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts from Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
“A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
