by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 25, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Republican Party of Arizona is fighting hard for Hispanic votes in the all-important 2024 November General Election.
Last week, the AZGOP released a Spanish-language ad, which will be running during the 2024 Copa America tournament. The ad features the chair of the state Republican Party, Gina Swoboda, and a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, Steve Montenegro.
In the short commercial, both Swoboda and Montenegro speak in Spanish to potential voters, noting the challenges facing everyone in the state – “high prices for food, gasoline, [and] homes; high crime; [and] protecting family rights in deciding what is the best education for their children.” They then highlight the commitment of the Arizona Republican Party “to protecting the American Dream” and coming alongside all families to help “achieve a better economy…in Arizona.”
The Pima County Democratic Party mocked the commercial from its state political rival. The “X” account for the county party wrote, “Spolier Alert. They’ll make a bunch of empty promises all while they get busy deporting your family members.”
Republican State Senator Janae Shamp praised the effort, saying, “Keep the American Dream alive!!”
Recent polls across the country have indicated that Democrats may be losing support among the key Hispanic voting bloc in the upcoming election – and that Republicans have been picking up some of those voters. Last week, a poll from Equis of registered Latino voters showed that a majority of respondents have more trust for former President Donald J. Trump over President Joseph R. Biden when it comes to the issue of immigration (41-38).
An April poll from the New York Times / Siena College showed that Biden may only have a nine-point advantage over Trump with Hispanics (50-41). Also, a poll from Axios / Ipsos around that time showed Biden dropping twelve points from his previous support from Hispanics, falling to within single digits of his competitor (41-32).
Any shift in any significant voting bloc in November’s General Election could be the difference between Republican and Democrat victories and majorities in the crucial Grand Canyon swing state. Trump and Biden are vying for Arizona’s eleven Electoral College votes, and those tallies to the national total have been very hard to come by in the past two presidential contests. Additionally, Arizona has a very competitive U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, the control of the state legislature in the balance, and multiple propositions to determine state policies and constitutional amendments for the future.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 23, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to protect children in the State of Arizona was recently vetoed by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs.
Last week, Governor Hobbs vetoed SB 1435, which would have “subject[ed] a public entity to liability for losses arising out of an act or omission by a public employee that is determined to be a felony sexual offense under certain circumstances” – according to the overview provided by the Arizona House of Representatives.
In a statement to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, Hobbs explained that “legislation that expands public entity liability needs to be carefully tailored and thoughtfully executed,” and that “this legislation does not meet that standard.”
State Senator Shawnna Bolick, the sponsor of the bill, responded to the governor’s action against her proposal, writing, “An institution tasked with keeping our children safe should be held accountable if they choose to hire someone who causes them harm. Sadly, Governor Hobbs disagrees. Keeping Arizona’s children safe is a top priority for Senate Republicans, and we’ve fought hard to close gaps in our system that allow those who facilitate crimes against our most vulnerable population, to get away with their heinous acts. One Arizona child who is victimized is one too many.”
When the bill passed the Arizona Senate back in March, it received bipartisan support with a 19-9 vote (with two members not voting). This month, the Arizona House of Representatives approved the legislation with a 34-26 result, sending it to the Governor’s Office.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona School Administrators, Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Arizona School Boards Association, Greater Phoenix Educational Management Council signed in to oppose the bill. A representative from the Arizona Center for Disability Law endorsed the proposal.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 22, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Proving yet again how dangerous the American southern border is for the migrants making the journey, members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations UH-60 aircrew made two separate rescues of groups of individuals this past weekend.
Earlier this week, CBP announced that five illegal aliens had been rescued in the Peloncillo Mountain range in the Tucson Border Sector on Friday and Saturday. This range is near the Arizona-New Mexico border. On Friday, three migrants were evacuated from the range after they had suffered from heat exhaustion. The responding aircrew was initially flagged by Douglas Station Horse Patrol Agents. On Sunday, two additional individuals were rescued by the aircrew, and the Douglas Horse Patrol Unit assisted seven other migrants to safety.
“Our aircrews are trained and capable of rapidly shifting from operational missions to humanitarian roles,” stated Jessie Scruggs, Director of Air and Marine Operations, Tucson Air Branch. “These two incidents represent what our aircrews are called to assist agents on the ground who encounter the growing number of migrants who become distressed by the unrelentless conditions they are placed in by callous smugglers.”
According to the press release from CBP, enforcement actions from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations during Fiscal Year 2023 “resulted in 1,004 arrests and 89,909 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, as well as the seizure or disruption of 256,883 pounds of cocaine, 2,049 pounds of fentanyl, 4,050 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,200 weapons, and $15.3 million.”
There are approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel who serve in CBP’s Air and Marine Operations.
Illegal aliens making their way to the United States encounter many dangers along the way, including from the extreme climates along the southern border and the abuse from the cartels and smugglers who profit from their travels. Very vulnerable children are also subject to these journeys – several of whom are forced back and forth across the border to help adult migrants exploit loopholes in U.S. immigration policies.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 22, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A Republican member of the Arizona Legislature is sounding the alarm after the release of a shocking revelation tied to the southern border.
Earlier this month, national media reported that eight suspected terrorists were arrested in major U.S. cities. The aliens, who were Tajikistan nationals, were apprehended in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia by ICE and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Bill Melugin, a Fox News journalist, shared that he was “told all 8 crossed the southern border illegally, received ‘full vetting’, and had no initial derogatory information that flagged.” He noted that “derogatory info/potential national security concerns flagged later on – apparently after release into the U.S.”
Arizona State Senator Frank Carroll reacted to the stunning news, writing, “A recent Fox News report revealed eight Tajikistan nationals with ties to ISIS were caught by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in conjunction with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in three major cities across America. These terrorists crossed the border illegally and were processed then released into our country without being flagged. Luckily, we were able to catch them later on, but eventually, our luck WILL run out! Clearly, our vetting process is not very efficient, and that’s for the people who we actually processed! This doesn’t include the millions of gotaways who’ve entered our country illegally and were never caught. How many more terrorists will we allow in before we wake up to the reality of what’s really going on?
Carroll added, “Thankfully, Republicans get it. That’s why we’re sending the Secure the Border Act to the November ballot. It will help prevent these violent terrorists and criminals from entering our country. The threat to our safety as Arizonans and Americans is at an all-time high!”
The FBI and DHS issued a joint statement to Fox News about the news, stating, “Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities. The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”
Melugin later called attention to an earlier interview with an illegal alien from Turkey, who told the media how American citizens should be “worried” about the state of their border security and the individuals who are making their way into the homeland from all parts of the world.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 20, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A measure to potentially reform Arizona’s judicial retention system is heading to the November General Election ballot.
Last Wednesday, the Arizona Legislature passed SCR 1044, which is another ballot referral for state voters to consider in the all-important election this fall. If passed, the measure would “constitutionally replace term limits for Arizona Supreme Court justices, intermediate appellate court and superior court judges with terms of good behavior and outline conditions that require a vote of retention for a justice or judge; [and would] require an intermediate appellate court judge who is subject to a vote of retention to be elected on a statewide basis” – according to the purpose statement from the Arizona State Senate.
The Arizona House of Representatives approved the measure with a 31-29 vote, sending the proposal back to the Senate since it was amended. The Arizona Senate then concurred with the changes with a 16-10 vote (with four members not voting).
The Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus “X” account championed the passage of this measure, posting, “Democrats HATE when judges respect the justice system by accurately interpreting our laws, and as a result, they want to punish these judges for doing so when their rulings go against radical Left ideologies. Today, all Senate Democrats voted ‘NO’ on protecting ethical judges and want to allow bad actors to continue to fly under the radar within our justice system.”
Legislative Democrats and progressive interest groups were very vocal in their opposition of the measure. Senator Priya Sundareshan said, “This ballot referral would be a fundamental reworking of our judicial retention system in fact it would move us away from a retention process towards lifetime appointments.”
Representative Analise Ortiz added, “SCR 1044 would take away my right and the right of my constituents who want to vote not to retain those judges who approved the 1864 total abortion ban. It says your voice doesn’t matter, we are throwing out your vote. That’s what authoritarianism looks like, and it’s terrifying.”
Many Democrats and their allied organizations pointed to Republicans’ motivations being the protection of two Arizona Supreme Court justices, who voted in favor of the legal standing of the state’s longtime abortion ban earlier this year. These justices, Kathryn King and Clint Bolick, are up for retention on the November General Election ballot this year.
Last month, Bolick wrote an opinion piece for The Arizona Republic on the dangers of weaponizing the judicial retention system over controversial decisions from courts. He wrote, “Justice O’Connor warned of the danger that ‘a retention election will be infected with issue-based politics.’ That is exactly what is happening, placing her precious legacy in grave jeopardy. In our state, the people have the ultimate lawmaking power, including the ability to overturn our decisions. But we cannot afford to have conscientious judges voted out for unpopular decisions.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
