by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 26, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Most illegal immigrants crossing the border are released into the United States.
In a recent meeting with federal officials that was broadcasted by Fox News journalist Bill Melugin, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly “admitted that the current release rate for migrants caught crossing the border illegally is ‘above 85%.’”
Melugin added context in a later post, divulging his conversation with a DHS official on background, which did not amount to a denial of Mayorkas’ admission to Border Patrol agents. The Fox News reporter was able to share an official statement from the department, that read, “After the ending of Title 42 in May, through the end of the fiscal year, DHS removed or returned more noncitizens without a basis to remain in the United States than in any other five-month period in the last ten years. In fact, the majority of all Southwest Border migrant encounters throughout this Administration have been removed, returned, or expelled – the majority of them. We are doing everything we can, within a broken system, to incentivize noncitizens to use lawful pathways, to impose consequences on those who do not, and to reduce irregular migration.”
The crisis at America’s southern border has deteriorated out of control in the past year, after steadily expanding in the first two years of the Biden administration. In Fiscal Year 2021, which Biden inherited, there were 1,734,686 encounters at the Southwest Border. In FY 2022, there were 2,378,944 apprehensions, and then 2,475,669 in the just-completed fiscal year (2023) – a record number. Already in FY 2024, there have been 483,404 arrests of illegal immigrants – with December’s reported number of over ‘300,000’ encounters still outstanding from CBP’s official chart.
While these apprehension numbers are concerning, the figures do not represent the worst of the situation at the border. Almost two million ‘gotaways’ have been estimated to have entered the country since Biden took office in January 2021. Also, the amount of fentanyl seized at the border has increased over the years, leading to educated speculation that much more of this deadly drug is finding its way around law enforcement and into communities from coast to coast.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 26, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A major vehicle rental company is offloading thousands of electric cars in its fleet.
In a January 11, 2024, filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. wrote that it had “made the strategic decision to sell approximately 20,000 electric vehicles (EV) from its U.S. fleet, or about one-third of the global EV fleet.” Hertz plans on “reinvest[ing] a portion of the proceeds from the sale of EVs into the purchase of internal combustion engine vehicles to meet customer demand.”
Hertz added that the sale of these vehicles would “position the Company to eliminate a disproportionate number of lower margin rentals and reduce damage expense associated with EVs.” When addressing the financial results for the fourth quarter of 2023, Hertz asserted that “expenses related to collision and damage, primarily associated with EVs, remained high in the quarter, thereby supporting the Company’s decision to initiate the material reduction in the EV fleet.”
The Vice-Chairman of the Arizona Senate Committee on Transportation, Technology and Missing Children, Senator Frank Carroll, addressed this announcement from Hertz, telling AZ Free News, “When one of the largest worldwide vehicle rental companies decides to sell off a third of its electric vehicles, we should pay attention. This move sheds light on the lack of demand and increased costs associated with EVs, which is why we need to continue to stand up against liberal extremism attempts to force every American to transition to electric cars. Hertz hopped on the EV experiment and paid the price.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 25, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona law enforcement officials are warning against a federal consent decree for the City of Phoenix Police Department.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association sent a letter to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, highlighting their members’ “complete opposition to any additional federal oversight of local law enforcement in the state of Arizona.”
The letter, sent by Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes and Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse, wrote that “the unintended but far-reaching consequences of federal oversight in Phoenix are of great concern to all law enforcement agencies in Arizona.” They noted the exorbitant costs of such decrees – most recently in Arizona’s backyard with Maricopa County, which has shelled out “$250 million of taxpayer funds in the last 16 years including on court monitors who have a disconnect between their mandate and experience, and their investment in the community.”
Sheriffs Rhodes and Clouse pointed out “the failure of the DOJ to help Arizona secure its borders” as another strike against the federal government’s ability to effectively commandeer a local police department, let alone to maintain its constitutionally tasks. They stated, “The DOJ has the authority and powers to also initiate a civil rights investigation into the Department of Homeland Security and as of yet has not. One does not need to look far to see the extraordinary constitutional violations occurring at our southwest border at the hands of the DHS. We find this inequity hypocritical considering the serious public safety implications manifesting from this failure.”
The association promised its complete support to Phoenix “in rejecting an offer of negotiation or consent decree by the DOJ,” adding the sheriffs would “stand behind you in forcing litigation to shine the light for all your citizens onto the allegations.” They asserted that “the necessary oversight of your police force can be done internally, with confidence from your constituents and other law enforcement agencies.”
Just days after the sheriffs transmitted this letter, the City of Phoenix sent one of its own to the DOJ, requesting “that the Department of Justice commit to negotiating in good faith a technical assistance letter with the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department, with assurances sufficient to reassure the DOJ that the City and PPD will continue with the reforms they are in the process of implementing.” The City’s letter accused the DOJ of operating its investigation with “a lack of transparency,” alleging the federal team “has declined to meaningfully share its observations, impressions, concerns, or tentative conclusions with the City of Phoenix, PPD, or their counsel despite numerous requests, and has rejected a specific request for a mid-investigation briefing.”
According to the City of Phoenix, “a technical assistance letter would allow the DOJ to provide Phoenix remedial recommendations and mechanisms to ensure proper implementation without the presence of a court enforced consent decree and monitor.”
The city argued that its Interim Chief, Michael G. Sullivan, has helped to enact meaningful reforms over “virtually every aspect of the operations implicated by the DOJ investigation.” City officials made the case that Sullivan’s changes “demonstrate a powerful commitment to reform, a commitment that warrants a different approach from the DOJ than has been the case over the past dozen years.”
Late last year, Arizona State Representative David Marshall and 20 of his colleagues in the chamber sent a letter to City of Phoenix officials, asking them to “swiftly reject any consent decree proposed by the DOJ and challenge the findings in the forthcoming DOJ report.”
The request from these representatives followed other petitions from Arizona officials who oppose the imposition of a consent decree upon the city’s police department. Earlier last fall, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell posted her displeasure with the principle of federal monitoring of law enforcement departments, writing, “Look no further than MCSO to see what ‘federal monitoring’ does to agencies. Monitors (people paid to determine whether an agency is in compliance) have ZERO incentive to find compliance. It will cost the taxpayers MILLIONS and crime will increase.”
City of Phoenix Councilmember Ann O’Brien also wrote an op-ed for the Arizona Republic, voicing her sentiments regarding any arrangement handed down from the DOJ. In her piece, O’Brien wrote, “I have no intention of signing anything given to us by the Department of Justice without getting to read their findings first. That’s the thing: the DOJ gets agencies to sign an agreement in principle before ever releasing their findings, which essentially means that agency will negotiate a consent decree in good faith. Not Phoenix.”
Per the City of Phoenix’s information, the DOJ’s Civil Pattern or Practice investigation into the Phoenix Police Department “is the 71st investigation of its kind since the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.” If DOJ finds “patterns or practices of misconduct,” then Phoenix will likely find itself with a federal monitor.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 24, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Republican Senate President is standing with families over a recent decision from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Late last week, the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus announced that President Warren Petersen “is working diligently to come to a resolution that will protect the more than 700,000 recipients from having to give the federal government a portion of [the 2023 Arizona Families Tax Rebate] this tax season.”
According to the Senate Republicans, the IRS recently made the decision to collect federal income taxes on the rebate, which was passed in the 2023 Arizona budget compromise between legislative Republicans and Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs. The caucus noted that “more than a dozen other states have passed similar legislation, in which the IRS concluded those funds were not considered taxable income.”
On February 10, 2023, the IRS released a determination that taxpayers in many of the states that issued special payments in 2022 would “not need to report these payments on their 2022 tax returns.”
In a statement that accompanied his news release, Petersen said, “It makes zero sense that the IRS is choosing to hurt Arizona families by taxing a tax rebate. I’m thankful for the help from Senator Sinema’s office in working to get this matter front and center with the IRS and U.S. Treasury. With tax season less than two weeks away, time is of the essence. While litigation likely isn’t the best approach, I appreciate the Attorney General’s office reaching out to us on this matter.”
The Senate President was critical of Governor Hobbs’ perceived inaction to protect families in this matter, saying, “I am, however, incredibly disappointed our Governor is again nowhere to be found on an issue that could ultimately cost our citizens tens of millions of dollars. I’m calling on her to not turn a blind eye on this issue, as she did with gas prices last spring, and to work with us on solving this problem for Arizona families.”
Petersen’s sharp rebuke follows a back-and-forth between the Governor’s Office and legislative Republicans this past fall, after Hobbs championed “the deployment of the Arizona Families Tax Rebate.” Hobbs said, “I made a promise that when I took office, I would take every opportunity I had to make it easier for Arizonans to provide for their families and lower the cost of living.”
Hobbs’ actions surrounding the issuance of rebates to Arizona families earned a Cease and Desist letter from attorneys for Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma. The letter highlighted an agreement in the FY 2024 budget that “[n]o letter relating to the Arizona families tax rebate issued under this section shall…reference the governor’s office.” According to the letter, the Arizona Department of Revenue had “distributed, apparently to all individuals who are eligible for the Families Tax Rebate, a letter that advises them to ‘visit the Arizona Department of Revenue’s online claim portal….’ The advertised URL, however, not only explicitly references the Governor but directs users to the Governor’s own website. Further, clicking the designated link on the homepage brings the user not to the Department’s portal, but rather to another webpage in the azgovernor.gov domain that features a video of self-congratulatory bloviations form the Governor.”
Republican Senator Jake Hoffman shredded the action from the Governor’s Office, stating, “The sad reality exposed by this situation is that Katie Hobbs doesn’t care about anyone other than herself. She tried to play fast and loose with the law, as she so often does, and forced Director Woods to violate it.”
Another Senate Republican, T.J. Shope, said, “I know the Governor wanted no part of this tax rebate but thankfully, the Arizona Senate and House caucuses, led by the Arizona Freedom Caucus, stood strong and demanded it be part of the State Budget. When we stick together, we can provide positive things for Arizona’s families.”
President Petersen will try to make contact with liaisons from the IRS and U.S. Treasury Department in an attempt to reverse the decision from the federal government in the days before the new tax season commences.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 22, 2024 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Grand Canyon State is one of the best in the country for starting a business.
According to a recently released report from WalletHub, Arizona ranked sixth in the nation for entrepreneurs looking to start a business. The 2024 Best & Worst States to Start a Business report had Utah as the number-one ranked state in the country and Rhode Island as the last-ranked. Two of Arizona’s other neighbors, Nevada and Colorado, came in at fifth and seventh, respectively.
Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub Analyst, said, “Starting a business is a difficult and risky process, but where you live can highly influence your chances of success. Before establishing a business in any location, make sure to do research to ensure it’s an ideal place for your customer base, has enough labor and supplier availability, and suits your needs when it comes to financing.”
Happe pointed to Utah’s great “access to loans” and “largest annual employment growth in the country” as two major indicators for its first place showing in the report.
The report factored average growth in number of small businesses, labor costs, availability of human capital, average length of work week (in hours), and cost of living. Arizona ranked sixth and seventh in small business growth and human capital, respectively; yet fell to twenty-fifth in both labor costs and work week hours, and twenty-seventh in cost of living.
In a separate WalletHub study, Best Large Cities to Start a Business, Scottsdale and Phoenix appeared in the top-30, at twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth, respectively. Three east valley cities, Gilbert, Chandler, and Mesa, clocked in at thirty-first, thirty-fifth, and thirty-eighth, respectively. Glendale and Tucson were noted at forty-sixth and fifty-first, respectively.
WalletHub gave several tips to men and women contemplating a business start-up. Those suggestions were as follows:
- Thoroughly Research Your Market
- Create a Solid Business Plan
- Focus on a Unique Value Proposition
- Choose a City that Fits Your Needs Well
- Manage Finances Wisely
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
