The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico released its weekly immigration enforcement statistics, detailing criminal charges filed in cooperation with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, along with other federal, state, and county agencies.
During the week ending August 15, 2025, federal prosecutors in New Mexico charged 32 individuals with illegal reentry after deportation under 8 U.S.C. 1326. Nine people faced charges for alien smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324), while another 22 were charged with illegal entry (8 U.S.C. 1325). In addition, 46 individuals were charged not only with illegal entry but also for violating a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and entering military property without authorization (18 U.S.C. 1382). These cases are linked to incidents at the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
According to the office, many defendants prosecuted under illegal reentry statutes had prior convictions that included armed robbery, arson, drug trafficking, and previous instances of illegal reentry.
Significant enforcement actions reported this week include an Albuquerque couple indicted on conspiracy charges related to harboring undocumented immigrants and laundering proceeds from human smuggling through real estate transactions. In Deming, authorities charged a teenager following an undercover operation involving firearms and drug trafficking offenses; evidence included cocaine, a handgun equipped with a Glock switch conversion device, and evasion from law enforcement during a high-speed chase at a Border Patrol checkpoint. Additionally, three separate criminal complaints were filed against different defendants after cocaine seizures at the I-25 Border Patrol checkpoint on August 12 and August 13.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and aiming to dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while addressing violent crime in communities.
“These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only,” according to information released by the office. “The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.”
“Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico,” stated officials from the district. “Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.”
The District of New Mexico includes all 33 counties within its jurisdiction and shares approximately 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Prosecutors based in Albuquerque and Las Cruces coordinate closely with various law enforcement partners to address immigration-related crimes as well as other federal offenses.
