District of Arizona Charges 268 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Aug. 8 through Aug. 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 268 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 122 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 124 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 17 cases against 22 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. Martin Alberto Cota Jr.. Cota was charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 10, 2026, with one count of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On Aug. 8, 2026, BPAs observed a vehicle traveling east on State Route 82. Records checks revealed that the vehicle had a cancelled registration and had entered the United States through the Nogales Port of Entry with one occupant. BPAs now observed two occupants in the vehicle. BPAs initiated a vehicle stop but the driver rapidly accelerated. Approximately three miles later, the driver abruptly pulled to the side of the road where a subject exited from the passenger's side. The driver then continued traveling east on State Route 82 before eventually pulling into a gas station. BPAs took the driver, Cota, into custody. Other BPAs in the area apprehended the subject who had exited the vehicle earlier. The subject was determined to be a citizen of Mexican, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-2269] United States v. Marcelino Iganacio Mendoza-Santos. On Aug. 10, 2026, Marcelino Iganacio Mendoza-Santos was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On Aug. 7, an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper stopped Mendoza-Santos for speeding. Border Patrol assisted with the stop and determined that Mendoza-Santos’ four passengers were citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-1648] The 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. 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: 2026-137_August 14, 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.