PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Sep. 26 through Oct. 2, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 374 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 189 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 155 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 27 cases against 29 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 federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol Agent (BPA).
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 of America v. Anita Lynn Torres. On Oct. 1, 2026, Anita Lynn Torres was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Sept. 29, 2026, a Pinal County Deputy observed a Ford Escape speeding on Interstate 10 and initiated a traffic stop. Torres was driving the vehicle and transporting two passengers. As the deputy and Torres walked to the deputy’s patrol vehicle, both passengers fled the Ford Escape. They were later apprehended. BPAs determined that one passenger is a citizen of El Salvador and the other a citizen of Mexico, and that both were unlawfully present in the United States. BPAs also learned that Torres recruited drivers to transport illegal aliens and knew her passengers were illegal aliens. [Case Number 26-MJ-6382]United States of America v. Fred Jacob Lopez Jr. On Oct. 1, 2026, Fred Jacob Lopez Jr., was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Sept. 30, 2026, an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper stopped Lopez for speeding on Interstate 10. Lopez was transporting one passenger at the time. The Trooper learned that Lopez had an active federal arrest warrant for violating the supervised release conditions of his 2023 conviction for Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. BPAs responded and determined that Lopez’s passenger was a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-6388]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: 2026-168_October 2, 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.