Phoenix Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Deadly Human Smuggling Operation on Tohono O’odham Nation

After entering a guilty plea to charges related to a human smuggling operation that caused a deadly collision on the Tohono O’odham Nation, a Phoenix man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. According to a Department of Justice press release, 21-year-old Kevin Rojo-Barron admitted to his involvement in a plot to transport illegal aliens for financial gain, an undertaking that resulted in the deaths of four people, including one noncitizen he was smuggling.

Three members of the Tohono O’odham Nation were killed on a fateful day in the vicinity of Why, Arizona, when Rojo-Barron’s car ran a stop sign and struck another vehicle, ending a high-speed pursuit. An AR-15-style rifle was found in the wrecked truck during the Homeland Security and local law enforcement investigation, adding to the already dire circumstances.

U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash sentenced Rojo-Barron last week after he entered a plea on July 18, 2024. Included in the charges listed in the sentence statement were “Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Resulting in Death, and Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Resulting in Death.” The Tohono Odham Police Department, Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations-Sells worked closely together to investigate this case.

The principal prosecutors in the case against Rojo-Barron were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Y. Chamblee and Ryan P. DeJoe of the District of Arizona in Tucson. The event is a sobering reminder of the human costs associated with illegal immigration activities and the dangerous paths taken by people pursuing a better life in secret, beyond the law’s protection.

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