District of Arizona Charges 160 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Dec. 13 through Dec.19, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 160 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 95 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 55 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. Marina Elizabeth Hernandez-Ardon: On Dec. 17, 2025, Hernandez-Ardon was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. According to the complaint, a Border Patrol agent requested a records check of a vehicle traveling on I-8 Eastbound, which confirmed the vehicle’s driver, Hernandez-Ardon, had an expired Employment Authorization Card. Driving alongside the vehicle, Border Patrol agents observed what appeared to be an individual in the rear passenger seat attempting to conceal themselves under a blanket. Agents initiated a traffic stop and observed Hernandez-Ardon in the driver’s seat and two individuals lying down on the floorboard of the rear passenger compartment under a blanket. The two passengers, citizens of Mexico, were found to have entered the United States without legal authorization. Hernandez-Ardon is a citizen of El Salvador. 25-02201MJ.

United States v. Jose Armando Talamantes-Magallanes: On Dec. 15, 2025, Talamantes-Magallanes was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. According to the complaint, Border Patrol agents noticed a breach in the border fence about a half of a mile west of Border Monument 177 and five sets of footprints walking northbound. The agents followed the footprints and located Talamantes-Magallanes and five other individuals concealed in the bushes and dressed in camouflage and carpeted shoes to conceal their footprints. Agents determined the defendant was transporting the five individuals into the United States, and immigration checks confirmed that Talamantes-Magallanes and the five other individuals are citizens of Mexico, all unlawfully present in the United States. 25-02183MJ.

United States v. Frances Walker and Yael Rosales. On Dec. 16, 2025, Walker and Rosales were charged by complaint with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens. As charged in the complaint, Border Patrol agents initially tried to stop a red Honda Civic on suspicion of alien smuggling as it traveled north on Federal Route 19 on the Tohono O'odham Nation. The driver, Rosales, failed to yield then briefly stopped and two individuals, later determined to be illegal aliens, ran from the Civic. Rosales again failed to yield and was eventually stopped by local law enforcement. After departing the first vehicle, the aliens were picked up by a second vehicle, driven by Walker. That vehicle was stopped at the State Route 86 Border Patrol Checkpoint, and Walker and the aliens were taken into custody. 25-MJ-13128-MSA.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-178_December 19 Immigration Enforcement

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