The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced charges against 389 individuals for immigration-related criminal conduct during enforcement operations conducted from May 16 through May 22, 2026. The charges included 170 cases for illegal re-entry into the United States, 191 for illegal entry, and 23 cases against 28 individuals for smuggling illegal aliens within the district.
These enforcement actions were supported by various federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO, 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).
Among the cases highlighted was that of Gregory James Russell, charged on May 20, 2026, with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit and Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. Russell was stopped after Border Patrol Agents observed him speeding and swerving. Agents found two Mexican citizens unlawfully present in his vehicle and noted Russell appeared intoxicated, leading to a DUI charge by Arizona Department of Public Safety Troopers. He admitted he was being paid to transport the individuals from Nogales to Phoenix.
In another instance, Robert Blair Schenberg was charged on May 20, 2026, with Transportation of an Illegal Alien after a Pinal County Deputy stopped his vehicle for an unreadable license plate. A passenger was found dressed in camouflage and wearing carpet shoes, confirmed by Border Patrol Agents to be a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the U.S. Luis Arturo Quezada-Garcia was also charged on May 19, 2026, for Transportation of an Illegal Alien after an agent observed his vehicle near Wickenburg, Arizona, with suspicious behavior. Both Quezada-Garcia and his passengers were identified as Mexican citizens who had recently crossed the border.
These efforts are part of "Operation Take Back America," a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at deterring illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.