US Prosecutors Charge 289 People in Arizona Immigration Cases

US federal prosecutors in Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 289 people during a week of enforcement operations, including cases involving illegal re-entry, unlawful entry and alleged migrant smuggling.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said it filed 152 cases involving people accused of illegally re-entering the United States between September 12 and September 18, 2026. A further 113 people were charged with illegally entering the country.

Prosecutors also filed 21 cases against 24 people accused of transporting or smuggling migrants into or within Arizona.

The cases were referred or supported by several federal law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, US Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the US Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Among the cases cited by prosecutors was that of Brandon Hernandez and Kelssy Ayleen Urzua, both US citizens, who were charged with conspiracy to transport an illegal alien. A Pinal County sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Hernandez on September 11 and observed two men wearing camouflage clothing in the rear seats.

Border Patrol agents determined that the two passengers were citizens of Mexico and El Salvador and were unlawfully present in the US, according to prosecutors.

In another case, Javier Chavez-Flores was charged with re-entry after removal. Prosecutors said he had previously been removed from the US in February 2026 following a Minnesota conviction for third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a mentally impaired or helpless victim. He had received a 253-day prison sentence and five years of probation in that case.

Prosecutors also charged Leonel Esteban Loreto with transporting an illegal alien for profit. Border Patrol agents reportedly observed Loreto driving near Naco, Arizona, on September 11 along a road commonly used for migrant smuggling.

Agents attempted to stop the vehicle for an immigration inspection, but prosecutors said Loreto failed to yield and reached speeds of between 90 and 100 miles per hour before stopping. Agents found a passenger in the rear of the vehicle wearing camouflage clothing and identified the passenger as a Mexican citizen who was unlawfully present in the US.

Source: FSX Business News