US charges 379 in Arizona immigration sweep
US federal prosecutors charged 379 people with immigration-related offences during a week-long enforcement operation in Arizona, including cases involving unlawful entry, illegal re-entry and alleged migrant smuggling.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said the charges were filed during enforcement operations conducted from September 19 through September 25.
Federal authorities filed 155 cases against people accused of illegally re-entering the United States after their removal. Another 191 people were charged with entering the country unlawfully.
Prosecutors also filed 28 cases against 32 people accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants into and within Arizona.
One defendant was charged with assaulting a US Border Patrol agent, the Attorney’s Office said. It described the protection of law enforcement officers as a central part of border enforcement.
The cases were referred to prosecutors or supported by several federal agencies. They included US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.
In one case, US citizen Gilda Sabas Martinez was charged with transporting an undocumented immigrant.
A Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Martinez on September 22 and found a minor travelling with her, according to the criminal complaint.
Agents later determined that the minor was a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States, prosecutors said.
Martinez was charged on September 23.
In a separate case, Percy Anthony Kisto, also a US citizen, was charged with transporting an undocumented immigrant and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint on Arizona State Route 85 reportedly saw a GMC Acadia make a U-turn as it approached the checkpoint.
Agents stopped the vehicle and found Kisto and four passengers inside. Three passengers, including a minor, were determined to be Mexican citizens unlawfully present in the country.
A search of Kisto’s backpack recovered a firearm, according to prosecutors. Kisto was prohibited from possessing a gun because of a 2015 felony conviction for transporting an undocumented immigrant.
Another defendant, identified as Ivan Rojas-Menera, was charged with illegally re-entering the United States following an earlier removal.
The release said Rojas-Menera had previously been removed from the country in April 2019 after a felony conviction involving conspiracy to transport dangerous drugs for sale. He had received a prison sentence of four years and nine months in that case.
The Attorney’s Office cautioned that the criminal complaints were formal allegations and did not establish guilt.
“All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” it said.
Arizona shares a long international boundary with Mexico and remains one of the principal areas for federal immigration and border enforcement. Federal law separately criminalises unlawful entry, re-entry following removal and the transportation or concealment of people who are unlawfully present in the country.
