PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Feb. 7 through Feb. 13, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 155 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 99 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 40 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 13 cases against 16 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).Recent matters of interest include:United States v. Luis Miguel Salas-Blanco.
Salas-Blanco was charged by complaint with Reentry of Removed Alien, Feb. 10, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on Oct. 7, 2021, after being convicted of Possession of a Weapon by a Prohibited Person and Forgery-Possession of a Forged Instrument, both felonies, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Salas-Blanco was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment for each count, with the sentences to be served concurrently. 26-9011MJ, Phoenix.United States v. Fileman Gomez-Casteneda.
Gomez-Casteneda was charged by complaint with Bringing an Alien to the United States Unlawfully. A Border Patrol Agent first observed five suspected illegal aliens walking northbound near exit 87 on I-8. Another BPA located the five individuals—one of whom was later identified as Gomez-Casteneda—hiding under a tree and wearing camouflage shirts and pants. Immigration checks confirmed that Gomez-Casteneda and the four others are citizens of Mexico, all unlawfully present in the United States. 26-01114MJ, Phoenix.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.RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-028_February 13 Immigration Enforcement# # #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.