PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 15 through Aug. 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 253 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 115 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 120 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 14 cases against 17 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a federal agent.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:United States v. Joshua David Estrada, et al. On Aug. 17, 2026, Joshua David Estrada, Crystal Maria Vargs, and Erika Williams, were charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 14, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) followed Estrada, who was driving alone in a Toyota Tundra, to a field where he met up with several other drivers. About 30 minutes later, Estrada drove away from the field, closely followed by a gray Nissan Rogue and a black Jeep. All three vehicles were traveling in tandem toward Phoenix and appeared to be carrying several passengers. BPAs stopped the vehicles and learned that Estrada was transporting six passengers, all illegal aliens, Vargas, the driver of the Nissan Rogue, was transporting five illegal aliens, and Williams, the driver of the Jeep, was transporting six illegal aliens. In total, BPAs apprehended 16 illegal aliens, all unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-01663]The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. 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.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-143_August 21, 2026 Immigration Enforcement# # #For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.