PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 19 through June 26, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 365 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 149 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 188 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 22 cases against 28 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. Hernan Roberto Acosta-Valdez.
On June 23, Hernan Roberto Acosta-Valdez was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On June 22, a Border Patrol agent observed a driver of white GMC truck swerving while driving north on State Route 85. The agent attempted to conduct a vehicle stop for an immigration inspection, but the driver failed to yield and instead sped up, eventually crashing into a ditch 20 yards off the roadway. The agents then observed the driver, Acosta-Valdez, and the five other passengers flee the vehicle.
Four of the passengers were wearing camouflage clothing. Officers apprehended five of the six occupants, including Acosta-Valdez. All five subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5260]United States v. Mauricio Loza-Rivera.
On June 25, Mauricio Loza-Rivera, was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Mauricio Loza-Rivera had been previously removed from the United States in 2018. In 2015, he was convicted of Possession/Purchase for sale Narcotic/Controlled Substance, in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County. Loza-Rivera was sentenced to 180 days of incarceration and three years of probation. [Case Number: 26-MJ-05280]These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice 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.
Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 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: 2026-111_June 26, 2026 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.