District of Arizona Charges 271 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 30, 2026, through June 5, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 271 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 137 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 113 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 16 cases against 20 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a federal officer.

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. Marie Rosa Vavages. Marie Rosa Vavages was charged on June 1, 2026, with Transportation of Illegal Aliens Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. On May 31, 2026, officers with the Tohono O'odham Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle, but it failed to yield. The driver subsequently drove at a high rate of speed, lost control, and rolled off the road. Border Patrol agents broke the rear window to extract the two rear-seat occupants. The driver, later identified as Marie Rosa Vavages, eventually complied with officers’ orders to exit the vehicle, leaving through the rear of the vehicle. Vavages and the two other occupants were transported to the hospital. The two other occupants were determined to be citizens of Guatemala, illegally present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-06276 – Tucson].

United States v. Kiiza Donald Atuhairwe. On May 30, 2026, Kiiza Donald Atuhairwe, a citizen of Uganda, was charged with Assault on a Federal Officer. On May 6, 2025, an immigration judge found Atuhairwe inadmissible and entered a final order of removal. On May 28, 2026, in the course of their official duties, two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers escorted Atuhairwe from El Paso, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, via commercial flight, with an ultimate destination to Kampala, Uganda. While on the short layover, Atuhairwe ran from ICE officers, pushing several people out of his way. Eventually, Atuhairwe stopped running and turned toward the ICE officer in a fighting stance. The ICE officer then attempted to restrain him. Atuhairwe bit the officer’s left hand and then bit the officer’s right ring finger, causing the finger to bleed. Atuhairwe was eventually restrained by law enforcement and escorted to a secure area of the airport. [Case Number: 26-MJ-8182 – Phoenix] 

This case is 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. 

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:    2026-092_June 5, 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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