Two men from Tajikistan have been arrested and charged in Pennsylvania for allegedly smuggling people into the United States via the border with Mexico.
Federal prosecutors said the defendants were charged with trying to bring a foreign citizen into the United States for financial gain and also conspiring to bring other foreigners into the U.S. as part of the smuggling operation. If convicted, they face a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count.
“The indictment alleges that, as part of their conspiracy, the defendants assisted in smuggling Co-Conspirator #1 into the United States, and then received referrals through Co-Conspirator #1 to smuggle additional illegal aliens into the U.S.,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement identified the defendants as Bekhzod Rakhmatov, 30, of Maineville, Ohio, and Munis Khojiev, 31, of Philadelphia. It said they had also illegally entered the United States.
Allegations against the suspects say that from about December 2022 to about May 2025, the two men worked to secure visas and passports for people who traveled through a number of countries with the aim of reaching the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The defendants solicited and received funds from, and on behalf of, illegal aliens, as payment for smuggling the illegal aliens into the United States,” federal prosecutors said.
The indictment comes as the U.S. cracks down on migration, including from some countries in Central Asia. Citizens from Turkmenistan face restrictions on travel to the United States under an order signed by President Donald Trump that bans or curbs the entry of nationals from 19 countries. The order took effect on June 9.
Kyrgyzstan has expressed concern about reports that it might be included in another group of countries that will possibly be subject to similar U.S. bans and restrictions.