More Than 900 Illegal Immigrants Charged With Immigration Crimes in 1 Week: DOJ

The Western District of Texas filed the highest number of cases, followed by the Southern District of Texas.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest a suspected illegal immigrant during a raid in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City on April 11, 2018. John Moore/Getty Images

More than 900 illegal immigrants were charged with immigration-related offenses during the first week of April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on April 8.

The charges were brought by U.S. attorneys for six southwestern border districts as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations in the United States.

These border districts are Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas.

The Western District of Texas filed the highest number of cases, with 259 immigration-related criminal cases. The DOJ did not provide details about the nature of the offenses.

The Southern District of Texas had the second-highest number of cases, with 225 in total. Of these, 70 people were charged with illegal reentry, 144 were charged with illegal entry, and others were accused of human smuggling, firearms offenses, and assault on a federal officer.

The DOJ stated that the majority of those charged with illegal reentry have felony convictions such as narcotics and violent or sexual crimes.

In the District of Arizona, a total of 204 immigrants were charged. Of these, 83 were charged with illegal reentry, 107 were charged with illegal entry, and 14 others were accused of human smuggling.

The Southern District of California filed 97 cases, with offenses including transporting illegal immigrants for financial gain, receipt of bribes by a public official, illegal reentry, and importing controlled substances.

Twenty-four illegal immigrants were charged in the Central District of California for allegedly reentering the United States after being deported. Some of them were convicted of felonies before their removal.

In the District of New Mexico, 56 immigrants were charged with human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation. Most of them were convicted of aggravated felonies before their deportation, according to the DOJ.

During the fourth week of March, U.S. attorneys from the six southwestern border districts charged nearly 1,000 immigrants with immigration law violations.

The Western District of Texas filed the most cases with 261, followed by the District of Arizona with 260, and the Southern District of Texas  with 257 cases, according to the DOJ.

“We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again,” the DOJ said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has urged illegal immigrants to self-deport from the United States. It stated that all immigrants are required to register with the federal government and that failing to do so will result in fines, potential imprisonment, or both.

According to the DHS website, all immigrants ages 14 and older who were not fingerprinted or registered when applying for a U.S. visa, and those who have stayed in the United States for 30 days or more, must apply for registration and fingerprinting.

“If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” a DHS spokesperson said on Feb. 25. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce.”

The move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the DHS to impose policies and procedures that will encourage illegal immigrants to voluntarily depart the country as soon as possible, and assess the penalties that could be taken against those who illegally entered the country.

Trump has signed several executive actions to deter illegal immigration, including terminating the CBP One app service that had allowed those without legal entry papers to schedule appointments at U.S. ports of entry.

In the first 50 days of the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made about 32,809 arrests, which almost equaled the total arrests made in the entire fiscal year 2024, according to the DHS.

Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.