US federal prosecutors charged 379 people with immigration-related offences during a week-long enforcement operation across Arizona, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona announced on 26 September 2026. The cases, filed between 19 and 25 September, cover unlawful entry, illegal re-entry after removal, and alleged migrant smuggling — among the largest single-week enforcement batches reported from the state this year.

Breakdown of Charges

Prosecutors filed 191 cases against individuals accused of entering the United States unlawfully, making it the largest single category in the sweep. A further 155 cases targeted people accused of illegally re-entering the country following a prior removal order. An additional 28 cases were filed against 32 individuals accused of smuggling undocumented migrants into or within Arizona. One defendant faces a separate charge of assaulting a US Border Patrol agent — a charge the Attorney's Office described as central to its border-enforcement mandate.

Notable Individual Cases

Among the defendants are two US citizens. Gilda Sabas Martinez was charged on 23 September with transporting an undocumented immigrant after a Pinal County Sheriff's deputy stopped her vehicle on 22 September and found a Mexican national minor travelling with her, according to prosecutors.

In a separate matter, Percy Anthony Kisto, also a US citizen, was charged with transporting an undocumented immigrant and with unlawfully possessing a firearm. Border Patrol agents at a checkpoint on Arizona State Route 85 reportedly observed his GMC Acadia make a U-turn as it approached. A subsequent search of Kisto's vehicle found three Mexican nationals — including a minor — unlawfully present in the country. A firearm was recovered from his backpack. Prosecutors noted that Kisto had a prior 2015 felony conviction for transporting an undocumented immigrant, which bars him from possessing weapons.

A third defendant, Ivan Rojas-Menera, faces charges of illegal re-entry following removal. According to prosecutors, Rojas-Menera had been removed from the US in April 2019 after a felony conviction involving conspiracy to transport dangerous drugs for sale, for which he received a sentence of four years and nine months.

Agencies and Legal Context

The operations were supported by multiple federal bodies, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Arizona shares an extensive international boundary with Mexico and remains one of the most active corridors for federal immigration enforcement. Federal law separately criminalises unlawful entry, re-entry following removal, and the transportation or concealment of people unlawfully present in the country.

The Attorney's Office cautioned that all charges constitute formal allegations. 'All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,' it said.

Broader Enforcement Backdrop

This comes amid intensified federal border enforcement under ongoing national immigration policy priorities. Large-scale single-week charging operations of this scale signal a sustained prosecutorial focus on Arizona's border corridor rather than selective, case-by-case referrals. Observers note that charging both US citizens and foreign nationals in the same sweep reflects an expanding net — one that targets the full supply chain of irregular migration, from the smugglers and transporters to those making the crossing. How courts process this volume of cases, and how many result in convictions, will be a key indicator of the operation's long-term deterrence effect.