During the week of August 30 to September 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 218 individuals with immigration-related offenses. The charges included 100 cases involving illegal re-entry into the United States and 107 cases of illegal entry. Additionally, 11 individuals were charged with smuggling illegal aliens within the district.
The enforcement actions were supported by several federal 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), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among recent cases highlighted by authorities:
In United States v. Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, a criminal complaint was filed on September 3 against Meraz-Aguilar, a Mexican citizen, for Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On September 1, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered him south of Dateland after he entered near Monument 179 with three others. The group attempted to travel north through desert terrain toward Interstate 8 but became separated; two members were rescued for dehydration and heat exhaustion. Agents reported that Meraz-Aguilar was paid as a foot guide for the Salazares Cartel and left individuals behind in accordance with cartel instructions.
In United States v. Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, Hernandez-Cordero was charged on September 4 with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien following a July traffic stop in which he was transporting five illegal aliens. Further investigation linked him to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix associated with a human smuggling organization; he and his associates allegedly served as drivers and caretakers transporting illegal aliens throughout the country for profit.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation combines resources from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Authorities emphasized: “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.”
