District of Arizona Charges 177 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Feb. 28 through Mar. 6, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 177 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 124 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 35 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 17 cases against 18 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. Iven Jair Jonathan Monjaraz-Perez, Gabriel Garcia-Lopez, and Alvaro Ojeda-Gomez. Monjarez-Perez, Garcia-Lopez, and Ojea-Gomez were charged by complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien on Mar. 4, 2026. In 2025, HSI opened an investigation into a human smuggling organization operating out of Phoenix, Arizona. According to the complaint, on Mar. 2, 2026, HSI agents executed a federal search warrant on an apartment in Phoenix, located 19 smuggled illegal aliens, and arrested two alleged load drivers, Garcia-Lopez and Ojeda-Gomez, who acted as caretakers of the apartment. Agents also learned that Garcia-Lopez and Ojeda-Gomez were citizens of Mexico unlawfully present in the United States. HSI agents then executed a federal search warrant on a second apartment connected to the smuggling scheme and saw two individuals, including Monjarez-Perez, leave the apartment and get into a car associated with the smuggling scheme. Agents arrested Monjarez-Perez, who is alleged to have received money to transport aliens in the United States and receive them at the drop house. Case Number: 26-MJ-3055.

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:    2026-045_March 6, 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.