District of Arizona Charges 164 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 21, 2025, through June 27, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 164 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 84 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 71 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed cases against 9 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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. Jesus Alfred Salazar-Ruiz: On June 22, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to conduct a stop on Jesus Alfred Salazar-Ruiz while he was driving. Salazar-Ruiz failed to yield and turned on to a dirt road, breaking through a chain gate in barbed wire fencing. Salazar-Ruiz drove at approximately 50 mph on the dirt road for several miles before coming to an abrupt stop. When agents approached the vehicle, it was empty. Agents searched the area and were able to locate Salazar-Ruiz, who still had the vehicle key in his possession. Agents were able to locate and apprehend three passengers from Salazar-Ruiz's vehicle who were determined to be in the United States illegally. Salazar-Ruiz was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-02859]

United States v. Miguel Angel Mezo-Antele: On June 24, 2025, Border Patrol Agents stopped a vehicle on Interstate 40 in Yuma, Arizona. Miguel Angel Mezo-Antele, the driver of the vehicle and a citizen of Mexico, was transporting four passengers who were also citizens of Mexico. Mezo-Antele and the four passengers did not possess any documents allowing them to enter, pass through, or remain in the United States legally. Mezo-Antele was transporting the four passengers from New Mexico, through Arizona, to their ultimate destinations in California and Oregon. Mezo-Antele was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. [Case Number: 25‐MJ‐1696]

United States v. Dalesio Hernandez-Bautista: On June 27, 2025, Dalesio Hernandez-Bautista, was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Hernandez-Bautista had been previously removed from the United States in 2018 after being convicted of manslaughter, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Pinal County. Hernandez-Bautista was sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter. [Case Number: 25-MJ-53146]

A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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).

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-105_June 27 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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.