325 Individuals Charged for Immigration-Related Crime Under Operation Take Back America

Two people were charged with assaulting Border Patrol agents.

Officers with the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Department participate in an operation against illegal Marijuana farms growing outside of Montague, Calif., on June 4, 2026. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona filed criminal charges for immigration-related violations against 325 individuals between June 27 and July 2 as part of Operation Take Back America.

Of those cases, 101 were against aliens who illegally re-entered the United States, 196 were for illegally entry, and 20 cases were against 26 individuals accused of smuggling illegal aliens in Arizona, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a July 6 statement.

“In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration,” the DOJ stated.

“Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged two defendants for assaulting Border Patrol agents,” the department added.

Among the arrested was an illegal immigrant previously convicted on cocaine possession charges and sentenced to 46 months in prison, and a Mexican national with a U.S. employment authorization card charged for seeking to transport three illegal immigrants into the United States.

Operation Take Back America was established by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche through a March 2025 memorandum.

The operation aims to implement objectives such as repelling the entry of illegal immigrants, establishing Homeland Security task forces responsible for dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks, and achieving the total elimination of transnational criminal organizations and cartels.

In its statement, the DOJ said that the 325 cases were referred or supported by various federal law enforcement partners, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

As part of its crackdown on illegals under Operation Take Back America, the DOJ said in a July 7 statement that 16 foreign nationals had been convicted of federal immigration crimes.

“Our citizens deserve to know that our federal government is committed to securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute criminal illegal aliens who think they can lie, cheat, and steal their way into our country.”

Veteran Immigration

The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants has been criticized by Democrats. Last month, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) condemned the administration for “delaying and neglecting” immigration cases of service members, according to a June 24 statement from the lawmaker’s office.

Duckworth specifically criticized the administration for “gutting” the Immigrant Military Members and Veteran Initiative (IMMVI) that was set up under the Biden administration to streamline the immigration process for noncitizen service members and veterans and their family members.

In a letter to various federal agencies, Duckworth alleged that a number of immigration cases of service members or their families were being mishandled by the current administration, leading to the wrongful initiation of deportation proceedings.

“For more than two centuries, our Nation has recognized that immigrant service members possess critical skills that enhance military readiness and strengthen national security,” Duckworth said.

“In return for their service, the United States Government offers unique protections, options for repatriation and pathways to citizenship for noncitizen service members, Veterans and their immediate family members. IMMVI was born out of this commitment by our Government to support immigrant service members.”

Back on April 10, ICE issued a memo clarifying that while it values the contributions of aliens those who have served in the U.S. military, any aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law would not be “automatically exempt” from the consequences on account of their military service.

The memo asked ICE personnel to ensure cases involving aliens with military service are properly handled, including ensuring “consistent implementation” of policies and procedures regarding the issue as outlined in 328 and 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“ICE will generally not issue an NTA, initiate administrative removal, or reinstate a final order of removal against an alien who is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. military, absent significant aggravating factors,” the memo said. NTA refers to Notice to Appear, the official document that kicks off removal proceedings against illegals.

When significant aggravating factors are present, authorities “must coordinate with the U.S. service member’s chain of command and applicable military law enforcement authorities.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration in May recorded its 13th straight month of releasing zero illegal immigrants into the United States in May, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said last month.

In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, between October 2025 and May 2026, CPB officials encountered 90,121 foreign nationals at the southwest land border, lower than the 405,171 encounters during the same period in fiscal year 2025, according to CBP data.