U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

ALBUQUERQUE - Today, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.

In the one-week period ending March 13, 2026, the United States Attorney's Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

• 75 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
• 5 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
• 31 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
• 73 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.

Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for aggravated assault, narcotics trafficking, theft, aggravated DUI, and prior immigration offenses.

In a significant case, during a vehicle stop, a Homeland Security Investigations task force officer located 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, and a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol in a vehicle driven by Jesus Meza Lopez, a Mexican citizen. Lopez was charged with illegal reentry, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 16, 2026.

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.

These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico only. 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. 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 consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.