PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 23 through May 29, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 331 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 146 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 163 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 18 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. Ismael Solis-Solis. On May 28, 2026, Ismael Solis-Solis was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Solis-Solis had been previously removed from the United States in 2025. In October 1997, Solis-Solis was convicted of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor in the Superior Court of California, Tulare County, and was sentenced to 270 days in prison, followed by 36 months of probation. [Case number: 26-MJ-08154]
United States v. Joel Ibarra-Lara. On May 27, 2026, Joel Ibarra-Lara was charged by criminal complaint with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ibarra-Lara had been previously removed from the United States in 2009. In September of 2001, Ibarra-Lara was convicted of Attempted Possession of Narcotics for Sale in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County, and sentenced to five years of supervised probation. [Case Number: 26-MJ-08138]
United States v. Mario Alberto Varela. On May 22, 2026, Mario Alberto Varela was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. On May 21, 2026, a Pinal County Officer stopped a black Ford Expedition for suspended registration. During the stop, the officer spoke to the driver, Mario Alberto Varela, and an assisting officer spoke to the three passengers. Due to conflicting statements from Varela and his passengers, the officers contacted U.S. Border Patrol for further assistance. Border Patrol determined that Varela was a U.S. citizen and that the three passengers were aliens unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5235]
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).
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: 2026-087_May 29, 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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Arizona — U.S. Department of Justice press release.