District of Arizona Charges 256 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from March 21 through March 27, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 256 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 155 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 86 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 15 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 (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. Pedro Martinez-Ruiz. Pedro Martinez-Ruiz was charged by criminal complaint on March 23, 2026, with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. On March 21, 2026, a Border Patrol camera operator observed a group of subjects walking north in the Santa Cruz River area, east of Nogales, Arizona. Camera operators then watched as a Chevrolet Silverado pulled into the same area and the subjects got into the truck. Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) nearby initiated a traffic stop to conduct an immigration inspection. In the truck, BPAs found 16 subjects wearing camouflage clothing who were sweating and breathing heavily. The subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. The driver, the only individual not wearing camouflage clothing, was identified as Pedro Martinez-Ruiz, a Mexican citizen who was also in the United States illegally. [Case Number: 26-MJ-00171]

United States v. Thompson, et al. Tyler Daniels Thompson and Yasmine Desire Marie Matthews were charged by criminal complaint on March 27, 2026, with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. On March 25, 2026, National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement officers requested a Border Patrol canine handler for a vehicle sniff at the campground road inside Organ Pipe National Monument. When BPAs arrived, NPS officers notified them that they had seen fresh footprints coming from the mountain pass and going directly to a black Volkswagen Jetta nearby. The temperature outside was approximately 100 degrees. The Jetta was occupied by Tyler Daniels Thompson, the driver, and Yasmine Desire Marie Matthews, the front seat passenger. After the BPA canine alerted to the vehicle, BPAs opened the trunk and discovered two people hiding inside, drenched in sweat. BPAs pulled out one subject who was passing out, carried him to a shaded area, and cut off his clothes to begin cooling him. BPA EMTs then arrived and administered aid. Initially the EMTs reported that the man was unconscious and they could not detect a pulse, but they were eventually able to cool him off. The subject regained a pulse and was transported to a hospital for further care. The other subject in the trunk required water to revive him. Both subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-00354]

United States v. Kristie Elizabeth Pablo. On March 23, 2026, Kristie Elizabeth Pablo was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On March 22, 2026, a deputy with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office observed Pablo driving a black Chevrolet Tahoe below the speed limit on I-10 Westbound in Eloy, Arizona. The deputy matched speed with the Tahoe, observed the vehicle’s tires cross into his lane, and initiated a traffic stop. The deputy learned that Pablo was engaged in human smuggling, and called BPAs to the scene. Immigration checks confirmed that one of the passengers in Pablo’s car was a citizen of Mexico and another passenger was a citizen of Guatemala, both unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-9091]

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:    2026-052_March 27, 2026 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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