PHOENIX, Ariz. – Hector Ambrosio Ruiz, 30, of Mexico, was arrested yesterday and charged by criminal complaint for Harboring Illegal Aliens. On Oct. 7, 2026, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant at a Phoenix residence suspected of being a stash house for illegal aliens. Upon entering the residence, investigators found twelve individuals hiding in a closet. Ruiz was found among the twelve and was the only one wearing shoes. Law enforcement confirmed that all twelve individuals are citizens of foreign countries without legal authority to reside in the United States.
While searching the residence, investigators found multiple pairs of shoes in the backyard and kitchen and a box in the garage containing 12 cellphones. Investigators also observed that the deadbolt locks on the exterior doors of the residence had been replaced with double-cylinder deadbolt locks requiring a key to unlock the doors from both the interior and exterior of the residence. The kitchen and living room of the residence contained no furniture. Ruiz had his own bedroom and the other 11 illegal aliens slept in one room. Four of the illegal aliens, Hugo Ipolito Ramirez-Vasquez, Eulogio Perez-Sanchez, Santos Antonio Giron-Castro and Obias Alexander Perez-Perez, were also arrested and separately charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Ramirez-Vasquez, Giron-Castro and Perez-Perez were previously removed from the United States in April 2026, and Perez-Sanchez was previously removed in November 2025. A conviction for harboring illegal aliens carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a maximum term of three years of supervised release.
These 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Homeland Security Investigations is conducting the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
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.
CASE NUMBER: 26-MJ-8436, 26-MJ-8429, 26-MJ-8428MJ, 26-MJ-8427, 26-MJ-8433MJRELEASE NUMBER: 2026-172_Ruiz# # #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