Source: Office of United States Attorneys
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from June 14, 2025, through June 20, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 177 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 80 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 87 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 9 cases against 10 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. Heriberto Medina: On June 16, 2025, Heriberto Medina drove a Toyota Camry from Mexico into the United States through the Douglas Port of Entry. At the port, Customs and Border Protection Officers asked Medina to open his trunk. As officers were inspecting the trunk, they noticed a speaker box that seemed out of place. When officers moved the speaker box, they found an individual hiding behind it who was a Mexican citizen, illegally present in the United States. Medina was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-08110]
United States v. Carlos Barrera-Aguilar: On June 17, 2025, Border Patrol Agents arrested Carlos Barrera-Aguilar near Wellton, Arizona. At the time of his arrest, Barrera-Aguilar was illegally present in the United States, and had previously been removed from the United States on three occasions. He also has a prior felony conviction for burglary. Barrera-Aguilar was charged by criminal complaint with Illegal Re-entry. [Case Number: 25-MJ-1674]
United States v. Juan Carlos Morales-Chavez: On June 18, 2025, law enforcement officers were arresting Juan Carlos Morales-Chavez for an administrative immigration violation when they found him in possession of a handgun. Morales-Chavez was charged by criminal complaint with Alien in Possession of a Firearm. [Case Number: 25-MJ-9270]
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: 2025-097_June 20 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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