A total of 226 individuals were charged with immigration-related crimes in the District of Arizona this week, according to a recent press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges were brought against individuals for re-entering the United States illegally, entering the country illegally, and smuggling aliens into and within the District.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought 117 cases against individuals who illegally re-entered the United States, and 95 cases against individuals who illegally entered the United States.
Additionally, the United States filed 14 cases against 14 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).
One of the recent cases of interest includes United States v. Porfirio Astorga-Rivera, where Astorga-Rivera was charged with Bringing an Alien to the United States Unlawfully for Profit. On March 31, Border Patrol agents were alerted to the presence of a potential group of illegal aliens near Tule Road in Wellton, Arizona.
Astorga-Rivera was apprehended attempting to conceal himself and wearing camouflage clothing and carpet shoes. Agents learned that Astorga-Rivera led the group through an opening in the border wall and that he would receive $1,000 per illegal alien he led into the country. Astorga-Rivera and the two other individuals are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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.
Related Federal Cases
- Fidel Mancinas-Franco, Alien Trafficking, Arizona 2023 · Texas
- Ramon Moreno-Lopez, Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Arizona 2023 · Texas
- Clifford Valisto, Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Arizona 2023 · Texas
- Tyler Myers, Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Arizona 2023 · Texas
- Pedro Martinez-Ruiz, Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Arizona 2026 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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