During the week of January 3 to January 9, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona filed immigration-related criminal charges against 112 individuals. Of these cases, 62 involved charges of illegal re-entry into the United States, while 38 were for illegal entry. In addition, eight cases were brought against a total of twelve people accused of smuggling illegal aliens into and within Arizona.
The enforcement actions were supported by several federal law enforcement agencies, including 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), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among the recent cases highlighted was United States v. Jose Antonio Martinez-Alarcon. Martinez-Alarcon was charged on January 5 with re-entry after removal from the United States. He had previously been deported on April 8, 2014 following a felony conviction in Maricopa County Superior Court for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine for sale, for which he served five years in prison.
Another case involved Luis Alberto Diaz-Galdamez and Placido Geronimo Gonzales-Carmona. Both men were charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit on January 7. According to court documents, Border Patrol agents observed suspected illegal border crossings near Douglas, Arizona using camera technology. After tracking a vehicle from that location and conducting a pursuit when it failed to yield, agents stopped the car with a vehicle immobilization device and found two undocumented individuals in the back seat.
A criminal complaint is an accusation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona: http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
