The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced that it filed immigration-related criminal charges against 310 individuals during a week of enforcement operations conducted between July 18 and July 24, 2026.
According to federal officials, prosecutors filed 114 cases involving individuals accused of illegally re-entering the United States after removal and charged another 175 individuals with illegally entering the country.
The office also brought 20 human smuggling cases against 21 individuals accused of transporting illegal aliens into and throughout Arizona.
The cases were investigated or supported by several federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Among the cases highlighted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office was that of Rubicel Nunez-Sanchez, who was charged by criminal complaint on July 20 with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit.
According to documents, Border Patrol agents observed Nunez-Sanchez driving a Ford F-150 with North Carolina license plates near the U.S.-Mexico border in the San Rafael Valley, an area known for human smuggling activity.
When agents attempted to conduct an immigration inspection, officials said Nunez-Sanchez failed to stop. After eventually pulling over, five passengers reportedly fled from the vehicle before Nunez-Sanchez drove away again.
Border Patrol agents later disabled the truck using a vehicle immobilization device and took him into custody.
Authorities subsequently located the five passengers, identified as citizens of Mexico and Columbia who were allegedly unlawfully present in the United States.
Federal prosecutors also announced charges against Jose Raul Ahumada-Lugo and Rony Ramirez-Valenzuela following a July 21 traffic stop conducted by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
According to investigators, a deputy stopped Ahumada-Lugo while he was driving a Ford F-150 carrying four passengers. After observing camouflage clothing and backpacks inside the vehicle, the deputy requested assistance from Border Patrol agents.
Officials determined that all five occupants were Mexican citizens unlawfully present in the United States.
Ramirez-Valenzuela, who was riding in the front passenger seat, was additionally charged with Reentry of a Removed Alien after authorities determined he had previously been removed from the United States in August of 2017.
Federal officials alleged he was assisting in the transportation of the other passengers.
The enforcement actions are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and prosecuting individuals accused of violent crimes and human smuggling.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Approximately 100 wild horse advocates gathered at the Arizona State Capitol last week to urge Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) to pause planned removals of Salt River wild horses until an independent scientific review confirms the remaining herd will remain genetically healthy and self-sustaining.
The “Preserve the Herd — Follow the Science” rally brought together conservation advocates, elected officials, wildlife experts and supporters from across Arizona who argued that the state’s current management plan should be guided by independent scientific analysis before any permanent removals occur.
Under AZDA’s current management plan, the Salt River wild horse population would be reduced from approximately 271 horses today to between 120 and 125 by the end of 2030 through continued fertility control and permanent removals to sanctuaries.
Advocates said they support responsible management of the herd but contend that the proposed population target has not been supported by publicly available, independent scientific research.
“Today was not about opposing responsible management,” stated Susie Bell of Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses. “It was about demanding that irreversible decisions be supported by credible, independent science. Arizona should not remove a single healthy horse until the public is shown that the remaining herd will be genetically viable.”
Wildlife ecologist and author Craig C. Downer, who has studied the Salt River herd and its habitat, cautioned that reducing the herd to the proposed level could permanently affect its long-term health.
“It would be a big mistake for Arizona to reduce this herd to 120 horses without independent science showing that the population can remain genetically healthy and self-sustaining,” Downer said. “The total number of horses does not necessarily reflect the herd’s true reproductive strength. Managers must consider how many unrelated breeding animals would remain, whether family lines are adequately represented, the herd’s age and sex distribution, foal recruitment and the continuing effects of fertility control.”
“Once genetic diversity is lost, it can be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to restore,” Downer added. “Before any removals begin, Arizona should require an independent, transparent scientific review demonstrating that the proposed population target will preserve the herd for generations, rather than merely keeping a small number of horses on the landscape.”
Advocates also pointed to the work of Dr. E. Gus Cothran, professor emeritus at Texas A&M University and a nationally recognized equine population geneticist, who has stated that 150 to 200 horses is generally considered the minimum population necessary to help preserve long-term genetic health.
According to organizers, Cothran has also emphasized that herd viability depends on factors beyond total population size, including genetic diversity, breeding-age animals, age and sex distribution, and mortality and reproductive rates.
As a result, rally organizers are calling for herd-specific genetic testing, a population viability analysis, and an independent scientific review before permanent removals move forward.
Supporters noted that the Salt River herd has already declined by more than 40% over the past five years, dropping from approximately 450 horses to around 271, largely through fertility control and natural attrition.
Organizers argued that maintaining the current management strategy could reduce the herd to approximately 165 to 168 horses over the next five years without permanently removing healthy horses or disrupting established family bands.
“There is no emergency that justifies abandoning a management program that is already working,” said Susie Bell. “The herd is declining, fertility control is working and natural mortality is occurring. Why would Arizona choose removals before completing the science?”
Advocates also questioned how the state’s current population target was established.
According to public records cited by organizers, an initial proposal to reduce the heard to approximately 100 horses originated from what they described as an informal straw poll rather than an independent scientific population study.
Although the target was later increased to 120 to 125 horses, advocates said no independent scientific analysis supporting that figure has been publicly released.
“You should not manage a protected Arizona treasure through a straw poll conducted among cattlemen and other interests within AZDA,” Bell added. “A negotiated number is not a scientific number.”
Supporters additionally pointed to public polling indicating widespread backing for preserving the heard. Organizers cited a 2023 Public Policy Polling survey that found 78% of Arizonans opposed removing Salt River wild horses from their habitat, even when respondents were presented with environmental concerns.
Other horse advocacy organizations have reported public support protecting the herd as high as 88%.
The rally also highlighted the Salt River Horse Act (HB 2340), legislation approved overwhelmingly by the Arizona Legislature and signed into law in 2016 to provide legal protections for the herd. Governor Katie Hobbs voted in favor of the measure while serving in the Arizona Senate.
The law prohibits individuals from interfering with, capturing, or euthanizing Salt River horses without written authorization and specifies that such authorization may be granted only for humane purposes. It also clarifies that the horses are not considered stray livestock subject to standard livestock removal laws.
State Rep. Cody Reim (R-LD3), who attended the rally, said the law’s original purpose was to protect the horses — not to justify reducing the herd.
“The Salt River Horse Act was never intended to justify removing these horses,” said Reim. “It was enacted to protect the herd and prevent exactly this from happening.”
Reim also announced plans to introduce legislation that would require science-based protections for the Salt River herd.
Organizers said they have repeatedly requested meetings with Governor Hobbs and asked her administration to temporarily pause removals while independent experts evaluate the state’s proposed population target. According to advocates, those requests have gone unanswered.
During the rally, supporters displayed more than 50 written requests submitted to the governor’s office seeking meetings or assistance, alongside the response they received which organizers said demonstrated the administration’s unwillingness to engage on the issue.
Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses is asking Governor Hobbs to:
Pause permanent removals of Salt River wild horses.
Order an independent genetic study and population viability analysis.
Require AZDA to publicly release the scientific data supporting the 120 to 125 horse population target.
Continue evaluating fertility control as an alternative to permanent removals.
Allow independent wildlife and genetics experts to review the findings before irreversible management decisions are made.
Advocates said a temporary pause would not end responsible management of the herd but would instead ensure that permanent decisions are based on transparent science and long-term genetic viability.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Republicans from across Arizona gathered on Friday to celebrate the grand opening of the Arizona Republican Party’s new headquarters. During the celebration, party leaders emphasized unity and looked ahead to the 2026 general election.
The new headquarters is located at 4531 N. 16th st., Suite 114, in Phoenix.
Despite Friday’s record-breaking heat, the event drew an over-capacity crowd, where attendees welcomed the Republican Party’s newly nominated statewide candidates following the primary election.
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano opened the celebration alongside Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro, Republican gubernatorial nominee Congressman Andy Biggs, Republican Attorney General nominee Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, and conservative radio host James T. Harris.
Both Biggs and Petersen received great support from attendees after securing their respective Republican nominations earlier in the week.
“It is very clear by today’s turnout that Republicans understand how important this election is and the only way we win is with a united front,” stated Chairman Arellano. “Governor Hobbs has been a disaster. From awarding government contracts to cronies, to appointing unqualified individuals to lead various state agencies, she has made a mess of things. We know that we must get Andy Biggs elected before it’s too late for Arizona and we become California.”
Arellano also contrasted the Arizona Republican Party’s approach to the primary election with what he described as divisions among Democrats, arguing that party leadership intentionally remained neutral throughout the nomination process.
“Primaries can take a toll and often fray relationships and create distrust among party members like the schism the DCCC created this cycle in Congressional District 1 with their cockeyed endorsement of losing candidate Marlene Galan-Woods,” added Arellano. “However, we didn’t play that way. I was determined that the Party would not put its thumb on the scale for one of our candidates or another. As a result, there is a real sense of unity – of trust.”
.@SurgeShow is doing great! Really got the party in a good shape in record time ❤
— Merissa Caldwell 🗳 ⛽ 🗽🔥 (@MerissaCaldwell) July 25, 2026
With the primary election concluded, party leaders used the event to rally supporters and signal the beginning of the Republican Party’s statewide general election campaign, emphasizing party unity as candidates prepare to challenge Democratic incumbents in November.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, this week. The legislation is designed to prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual stocks and certain other financial instruments while serving in office.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), who signed on as a cosponsor shortly after the bill’s introduction, voted in favor of the measure.
Throughout his time in Congress, Crane has advocated for stricter ethics standards and has consistently opposed insider trading by lawmakers, arguing that elected officials should not be able to profit from information obtained through public office.
Crane has also pledged not to trade individual stocks and has previously cosponsored similar legislation aimed at banning the practice.
“Our Founders envisioned a nation where citizen representatives served their constituents, not one where they used their positions to amass personal wealth,” stated Rep. Crane. “This legislation establishes solid guardrails to prevent lawmakers or their families from using insider information to enrich themselves.”
Our Founders envisioned a nation where citizen representatives served their constituents, not one where they used their positions to amass wealth.
The Stop Insider Trading Act prevents lawmakers or their families from using insider information to enrich themselves.
The legislation includes several exceptions, allowing investments in broadly diverted mutual funds and certain U.S.-focused investment funds, interests in qualifying small businesses, and assets held in qualifying blind trusts where lawmakers and their families have no authority over the trustee.
In addition to restricting purchases, the bill establishes new transparency requirements for the sale of covered investments.
Members of Congress would be required to publicly disclose their intent to sell a covert investment between seven and fourteen days before the transaction. The notice would include the anticipated sale date, a description of the transaction, and the number of shares to be sold, with disclosures published online by the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate.
The legislation also outlines enforcement provision for violations. Individuals found to have improperly purchased covert investments would be required to divest those holdings and could face financial penalties of at least $2,000 or 10% of the value of the prohibited transaction, whichever is greater, in addition to forfeiting any net gains realized from the investment.
In certain cases, congressional ethics offices would have authority to refer violations to the Department of Justice.
The bill further prohibits Members of Congress from using official office funds or campaign contributions to pay any penalties assessed under the law.
If enacted, the restrictions would take effect 180 days after the legislation becomes law.
“While I commend my colleagues in the House for passing this bill, it won’t make a difference if our colleagues in the Senate don’t make it a priority,” said Crane. “I’m asking the American people to reach out to their senators and urge them to support this commonsense bill.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is blasting the anti-ESA ballot measure, which is currently facing a legal challenge from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club and the Goldwater Institute. Under Ducey’s leadership, Arizona became the nation’s leader in school choice.
The Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit earlier this week, challenging the validity of signatures submitted for the proposed “Protection Education, Accountability Now Act,” a ballot initiative that would place new restrictions on Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship (ESA) program.
According to the lawsuit, the initiative required 255,949 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot but allegedly submitted enough invalid signatures to fall below that threshold. It contends that tens of thousands of petition signatures are subject to disqualification and raises concerns about the campaign’s signature-gathering process.
Goldwater claimed that more than 75% of the signatures were collected by paid circulators rather than volunteers and questioned whether some petition circulators met legal standards.
Out-of-state special interests are spending millions to buy their way onto Arizona's ballot. Today, Goldwater filed suit challenging the invalid signatures submitted for this anti-school choice measure. We will keep fighting to defend the rights of Arizona families and protect…
— Goldwater Institute (@GoldwaterInst) July 20, 2026
Ducey criticized the proposed initiative, arguing that it would eliminate educational options for families participating in the ESA program.
“Once again, we are reminded how little these out-of-state unions care about Arizona students and their parents,” stated Ducey. “This measure would strip tens of thousands of Arizona families of educational choices they have made for their children, forcing students out of the schools that are serving them well and back into schools they chose to leave. That is unacceptable, and we will vigorously challenge this measure at every possible step.”
Arizona’s ESA program currently serves more than 100,000 students, allowing eligible families to use state education funds for private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, and other approved educational costs.
Supporters of the program argue it expands educational opportunities and parental choice, while opponents have raised concerns about its cost and oversight.
The Goldwater Institute alleged that the ballot initiative is backed by out-of-state special interest groups seeking to limit Arizona’s school choice program.
“This is a shameless attack on Arizona’s parents, funded by an out-of-state union,” said Victor Riches, President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute. “They’re trying to game the system by turning in tens of thousands of invalid signatures in an effort to destroy the most successful school choice program in the country. This won’t happen on our watch.”
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club announced that it joined the legal challenge in support of the Goldwater Institute’s lawsuit. Greg Blackie of the organization will serve as a plaintiff in the case.
They Claim to Protect Children. Look Who They Hired!!
Arizona Free Enterprise Club @azfec Joins Legal Challenge to Union-Backed Anti-ESA Initiative. Save Our Schools and the teachers unions claim their anti-ESA campaign is about protecting children.
— Arizona Free Enterprise Club (@azfec) July 21, 2026
According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, it worked alongside the Goldwater Institute and other school choice advocates to review petition signatures and identify what they describe as “serious irregularities”.
The organization said the complaint also raises concerns about individuals hired to circulate petitions, including allegations involving circulators with criminal histories.
Arizona Free Enterprise Club President Scot Mussi released a statement, saying election laws should be enforced equally for all ballot initiatives.
“Save Our Schools and the teachers unions have spent years accusing ESA families of fraud and demanding greater scrutiny of parents, said Mussi. “Now, their own campaign is facing serious questions about the people they hired to gather signatures. Arizona’s election laws must be fully enforced. If this campaign failed to collect enough lawful and valid signatures, it must not qualify for the ballot.”
The challenged initiative is backed by Save Our Schools Arizona, the Arizona Education Association, and other organizations that have, for years, supported additional limits on ESA eligibility.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
