New Mexico border prosecutions reach 9081 in first year under Ellison
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico filed 9081 criminal cases tied to border security and immigration enforcement between April 2025 and April 2026. The total covers illegal reentry, alien smuggling, immigration fraud, false statements, firearms offenses, and drug trafficking linked to southern border operations.
nbcnews.comThe U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico brought 9081 criminal cases related to border security and immigration enforcement in the year after First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison took leadership in April 2025, the Department of Justice reported on May 13, 2026.
The prosecutions include charges of illegal reentry, alien smuggling, immigration fraud, false statements, firearms offenses, and drug trafficking investigations that originated from southern border enforcement. The office handles federal cases across the state, which shares a 180-mile border with Mexico and contains three ports of entry.
The figure marks a rise from the prior 12-month period before Ellison assumed leadership. The new total reflects completed cases filed in U.S. District Court in New Mexico under statutes governing immigration violations, smuggling, and related firearms and narcotics offenses.
Federal courts in New Mexico must now schedule and adjudicate the 9081 cases alongside ongoing dockets. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection will supply witnesses and evidence for the prosecutions. The volume requires sustained allocation of assistant U.S. attorneys, federal defenders, and court staff in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe.
Congress appropriates funds for these operations through the Department of Justice budget; higher caseloads typically prompt future requests for additional prosecutors and judgeships in high-volume border districts.
This release is the first comprehensive tally issued by the office since Ellison became first assistant in April 2025. The Department of Justice has published similar year-over-year enforcement statistics for other southwest border districts under both the prior and current administrations.
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