New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only.

Source: Department of Justice
Photos: Courtesy Joint Task Force Southern Border

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics. 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. 

Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border utilize small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) and counter-UAS technologies to enhance aerial monitoring along the southern border. These unique capabilities provide vital situational awareness in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations in Texas.

In the four-week period ending August 28, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

• 279 individuals were charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
• 27 individuals were charged with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
• 214 individuals were charged with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
• 268 individuals were charged 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 drug possession, alien smuggling, narcotics trafficking, wire fraud, assault, theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, arson, assault and battery and prior immigration offenses.

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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.

Marines and Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border conduct casualty evacuation drills in California. This joint training enhances rapid medical response capabilities to ensure operational readiness in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border.

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. 

Alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border observe a tethered aerostat, a surveillance platform providing wide-area observation. This unique military capability enhances situational awareness in support of border security operations along the southern border.

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.