PHOENIX — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced Friday that it charged 218 people with immigration-related crimes during enforcement operations conducted between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, 2025.
Breakdown of charges
Of the cases filed, prosecutors charged 100 individuals with illegal re-entry into the United States and 107 with illegal entry. Another 11 defendants were charged with smuggling-related offenses, accused of transporting or harboring undocumented migrants.
The cases were developed in coordination with several federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and the ATF.
Cases of note
One defendant, Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, 20, of Mexico, was charged after allegedly guiding a group of migrants through the Arizona desert under instructions from a cartel. Agents said two members of the group required medical treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Another defendant, Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, also of Mexico, was charged with conspiracy to transport migrants after investigators linked him to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix that were allegedly part of a larger smuggling operation.
Part of Operation Take Back America
The prosecutions are being pursued under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartel activity, and transnational criminal organizations. The program combines resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
