PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 22 through Aug. 28, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 293 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 149 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 132 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 11 cases against 12 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 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:U.S. v. Jesus Antonio Madrigal. Jesus Antonio Madrigal was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 24, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 21, 2026, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) observed a Honda Accord traveling south on Federal Route (FR) 19, a route that runs from Sells, AZ to the United States border with Mexico. A short time later, BPAs observed the same vehicle traveling north on FR19. BPAs initiated a stop to conduct an immigration inspection, but the driver failed to yield. BPAs pursued the vehicle as it traveled at speeds over 100 mph. BPAs at the immigration checkpoint on State Route 86 deployed spike strips and successfully immobilized the vehicle. The driver was identified as Jesus Antonio Madrigal. The rear seat passenger was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05507]U.S. v. Jabari Kaleem Mims. Jabari Kaleem Mims was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 24, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Aug. 22, 2026, BPA camera operators observed a BMW pulled over at Border Road and saw one person get into the vehicle. BPAs who were parked further north attempted to follow the vehicle as it passed. The driver, later identified as Mims, ran a stop sign and began accelerating. BPAs attempted to stop the vehicle, but Mims failed to yield. Camera operators maintained a visual of the vehicle and saw Mims pull over. One subject got out of the BMW and ran into the brush on the side of the road. BPAs eventually found the subject, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. BPAs continued to pursue Mims, who eventually yielded and was taken into custody. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05508]U.S. v. Jose Manuel Arenas-Pinzon. On Aug. 23, 2026, Jose Manuel Arenas-Pinzon was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Arenas-Pinzon was previously removed from the United States on June 2, 2021, after being convicted of Transportation of Dangerous Drugs for Sale in the Superior Court of Arizona. Arenas-Pinzon was sentenced to ten years in prison in that case. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3275]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: 2026-149_August 28, 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.