Federal authorities arrested 95 commercial truck drivers identified as illegal aliens during a multi-agency enforcement operation in Arizona’s Yuma Sector, with more than three-quarters carrying commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued by California.
The U.S. Border Patrol conducted the operation with local law enforcement partners from Aug. 10 through Aug. 14, resulting in 143 arrests involving individuals from 18 countries, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Of the 95 truck drivers arrested, 76 possessed California CDLs, while six held licenses issued by New York. CBP said the remaining licenses came from other states but did not identify them individually.
The operation also intercepted two human-smuggling attempts, resulting in the arrest of four alleged smugglers and 17 smuggled aliens. Agents seized a firearm, 74 pounds of methamphetamine, and 169 pounds of marijuana.
95 ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCK DRIVERS ARRESTED.
Working alongside law enforcement partners, @CBP arrested the truckers in Arizona — 76 of whom had driver’s licenses issued by CALIFORNIA.
We won’t stop fighting to get illegal alien truckers OFF our nation’s roads.… https://t.co/OojGPH3lHC
Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin W. Caudle of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector said the agency is targeting threats involving improperly qualified commercial drivers as well as criminal organizations engaged in drug and human smuggling.
“We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats,” Caudle said, “whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking.”
Fox News first reported the arrests Monday morning, before CBP publicly released the operation’s results.
The arrests come amid increased federal scrutiny of state commercial licensing programs for foreign nationals and follow an August report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examining the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs nationwide.
FAIR reported that California issued more than 128,000 non-domiciled CDLs between January 2022 and September 2025, more than doubling the state’s annual issuance during that period, and that in 2025 at least 17 fatal crashes involving foreign national CDL holders cost more than 30 Americans their lives.
A non-domiciled CDL is a separate category of commercial license available under federal law to certain foreign nationals and is not synonymous with a license issued to an illegal alien. Under current federal regulations, foreign-domiciled applicants for a non-domiciled CDL must be lawfully present in the United States under specified employment-based nonimmigrant visa categories.
FAIR’s report found California allowed CDL knowledge examinations in Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi, Russian, and Spanish. According to data cited in the organization’s 31-page investigative report, first-attempt pass rates were 22 percent for applicants taking the test in Arabic and 26 percent for Punjabi, compared with 63 percent for applicants testing in English.
“Our investigation—powered by public records, litigation against New York’s stonewalling, and analysis of FMCSA’s own audits—lays bare systemic noncompliance on a massive scale,” Mateo Forero, FAIR’s director of investigations, said. “California’s 128,000-plus non-domiciled CDLs and abysmal foreign-language pass rates, the multi-state practice of issuing licenses beyond lawful presence, and the growing list of preventable deaths make clear that temporary executive fixes are not enough. Only permanent statutory reform can restore the integrity of the CDL program and protect every American driver.”
Federal regulators separately identified problems with California’s non-domiciled CDL program during a 2025 review.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that approximately 25 percent of the California records sampled during its review failed to comply with federal requirements.
FMCSA found that California issued some commercial licenses with expiration dates extending beyond the expiration of drivers’ lawful-presence documents. Regulators also found licenses issued to Mexican nationals who were ineligible under the applicable federal rules and found that some temporary commercial credentials were issued without first validating lawful presence or reporting the licenses to the national Commercial Driver’s License Information System.
California informed federal regulators in late 2025 that it had begun proceedings to rescind approximately 17,000 noncompliant licenses. FMCSA subsequently determined California had failed to complete the corrective actions on the agreed schedule and withheld approximately $160 million in federal highway funding in January.
The California DMV later said that, effective March 6, the federal government required it to cancel approximately 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs. The state agency said all affected drivers had federal work authorization and were legally present when their licenses were originally issued. California DMV also said it had sought permission to issue corrected licenses to drivers who remained eligible.
New York has faced similar federal enforcement. An FMCSA audit found 107 of 200 sampled non-domiciled CDL records were issued in violation of federal requirements, a failure rate of more than 53 percent.
The agency found New York’s licensing system routinely issued eight-year non-REAL ID commercial licenses without limiting their expiration dates to the period during which the foreign driver was lawfully present in the United States. FMCSA withheld more than $73 million from New York in April after concluding the state had failed to complete required corrective actions.
Federal rules governing non-domiciled commercial licenses were tightened this year. An FMCSA final rule, effective March 16, limits eligibility to foreign nationals lawfully present in the United States under H-2A temporary agricultural worker, H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker, or E-2 treaty investor status.
The regulations also require states to verify an applicant’s immigration status and require states unable to comply with the new standards to halt issuance of non-domiciled commercial licenses until their systems meet federal requirements.
The Yuma Sector arrests are the latest enforcement action involving commercial drivers as federal transportation and immigration authorities increase scrutiny of the licensing and employment of foreign nationals operating commercial vehicles on U.S. highways.
Republican Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08) said Arizona has a “captured government” after Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to prosecute Gov. Katie Hobbs over allegations involving political contributions connected to Sunshine Residential Homes and rate increases the company received from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS).
Hamadeh made the remarks during an appearance on James T. Harris’ “The Conservative Circus,” calling Mayes’ two-year criminal investigation “a sham” that he said was intended to clear Hobbs before the November election.
“Arizona has a captured government right now,” Hamadeh said.
Congressman Hamadeh is not surprised that @KrisMayes dropped the investigation into crooked @KatieHobbs.
Mayes is the illegitimate attorney general BECAUSE Hobbs withheld evidence when she was Secretary of State. They are in cahoots. This was a sham released sixty days before… pic.twitter.com/OJwDggjUKw
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) August 25, 2026
“The most important thing we have to do this November is get rid of both Kris Mayes and Katie Hobbs.” Hamadeh said. Hamadeh accused Mayes and Hobbs of protecting one another and said the state’s news media had failed to hold either official accountable.
“The attorney general is not going to hold the governor accountable,” Hamadeh said. “This is what you call a captured government. So it is up to We the People to show them accountability by voting them out of office.”
The congressman also tied the decision to his continuing claim that Mayes is an “illegitimate attorney general,” arguing that Hobbs withheld evidence while serving as secretary of state during Hamadeh’s unsuccessful challenge to the 2022 attorney general election. Mayes defeated Hamadeh by 280 votes after a recount, a result later recounted in an Arizona Court of Appeals decision rejecting Hamadeh’s request for a new trial.
Mayes announced earlier this month that her office found no evidence of a quid pro quo connecting Sunshine’s political contributions to the company’s DCS rate increases.
“After two years of investigation, consisting of multiple interviews, reviews of campaign-finance records, procurement records, bank documents, and State emails and chats, totaling over one terabyte of data, including more than 100,000 documents, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence of the necessary quid pro quo to support a bribery charge,” Mayes said.
The attorney general’s seven-page legal memorandum said investigators conducted 12 interviews and reviewed campaign-finance records, procurement documents, bank records, and state communications. The memorandum concluded that prosecutors lacked evidence establishing a reasonable likelihood of conviction for bribery or related offenses.
Hobbs declined an in-person interview and submitted two written statements through her attorneys on Aug. 17, according to the memorandum. She stated that she had never discussed Sunshine’s rates or DCS contracting decisions with Sunshine founder and CEO Simon Kottoor or anyone affiliated with the company. Hobbs also denied directing anyone to intervene and said Sunshine’s political contributions did not influence state agency decisions.
Sunshine gave $200,000 to the Arizona Democratic Party before Hobbs’ 2022 election, $100,000 to her inaugural fund and another $100,000 to the state party in August 2023. Kottoor and his wife, Elizabeth, also made contributions to Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaigns.
The company received a mid-contract rate increase in May 2023 that raised its payment to $195 per bed, followed by an increase to $234 per bed during an April 2024 contract renewal. The AG memorandum said Sunshine’s rate increased 56% between 2019 and 2024. Two other providers received larger percentage increases over that period while retaining lower daily rates.
Mayes’ Investigation found that DCS officials knew about Sunshine’s political contributions as they considered its request. Then-DCS official Robert Navarro told colleagues during a February 2023 meeting that Sunshine was likely to seek an increase and was a donor to Hobbs, according to the memorandum. Navarro told investigators that the donations created perceived pressure. The Attorney General’s Office concluded that any perceived pressure resulted from Navarro’s own knowledge of the contributions and found no evidence that Hobbs or her office directed DCS to increase Sunshine’s rate.
The memorandum concluded that Sunshine’s rate increases resulted from its leverage as one of Arizona’s largest congregate-care providers. Sunshine accounted for approximately 20% to 25% of the state’s non-Division of Developmental Disabilities group-home beds. DCS officials told investigators that the company had threatened to move beds to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which paid higher rates to house unaccompanied migrant children. Officials said losing Sunshine’s capacity would have strained the foster-care system and reduced beds available to keep siblings together.
Mayes called for legislation increasing transparency around political contributions from state contractors when she announced the decision. Hobbs previously vetoed two bills sponsored by Republican Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-LD16) that would have required certain companies seeking state contracts or grants to disclose political contributions and required agencies to retain procurement records.
Mayes’ criminal division recommended closing its pay-to-play investigation while keeping the matter open for the limited purpose of assisting the Arizona Auditor General. A separate review involving the Auditor General and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell remains ongoing. The Arizona House has also commissioned an independent investigation.
Democratic congressional nominee Amish Shah declined an invitation to participate in an Arizona PBS discussion with Republican nominee Jay Feely, leaving Feely as the only First Congressional District candidate on the program.
“As for the Democratic candidate, Amish Shah, he declined our invitation to participate in tonight’s discussion,” Arizona Horizon host Ted Simons said at the opening of the segment.
Arizona PBS presented the interview as part of its “Candidates in Conversation” series. The station described the district as Arizona’s wealthiest congressional district and identified northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Fountain Hills among the communities it includes.
Feely greeted Simmons and asked, “Is it you or me they don’t like?”
“I haven’t figured it out,” Simons replied. “We’ll work that out later.”
Feely subsequently characterized the planned appearance as a debate and accused Shah of avoiding scrutiny.
“It’s disappointing that Amish Shah hid from tonight’s debate,” Feely wrote on X. “Arizonans deserve a representative willing to show up and stand by their convictions. Shah knows his socialist views & support for Bernie Sanders are deeply unpopular. He’s hoping you never learn who he really is.”
It's disappointing that Amish Shah hid from tonight's debate.
Arizonans deserve a representative willing to show up and stand by their convictions.
Shah knows his socialist views & support for Bernie Sanders are deeply unpopular. He's hoping you never learn who he really is. https://t.co/pQkXYL1Ffq
Shah’s campaign has not publicly explained his decision to decline the Arizona PBS invitation.
The interview began with the economy. Feely identified affordability as the most pressing issue facing district residents, citing conversations at doors and campaign events.
“People in general care about the economy,” Feely told Simons. “They care about the future for their children. You know, when you go to the grocery store, you look at prices. When you buy gas, obviously that’s a big one as well.”
The top issue for citizens across this district is affordability — groceries, gas, and improving the cost of living.
I’m running to lower your bills.
The policies Amish Shah endorses would take more money out of your pocket, raise your taxes and create hyperinflation again. pic.twitter.com/RINUFaGgix
Feely said reducing regulations could lower housing costs and argued that wage growth would help households absorb higher prices. He also defended President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations.
Asked whether he would support a proposed tariff of 50 percent or more on Canadian goods, Feely said he did not expect the tariff to take effect.
“It’s not going to happen,” Feely said. “He uses it as leverage. Everything he does is about leverage to get the best deal for America.”
Feely later acknowledged that tariffs can raise prices in the short term. He said the policies should be evaluated according to whether they encourage domestic manufacturing and produce more favorable trade agreements.
Simons also questioned Feely about the national debt and federal entitlement spending. Feely said Congress would have to address mandatory spending and begin a discussion about the long-term finances of Social Security.
Shah’s current campaign platform calls for rolling back Trump’s tariffs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and expanding access to health coverage. His campaign describes him as a supporter of universal health care and says he would work to reduce premiums and prescription drug prices.
The candidates’ differences over health care became part of Feely’s closing argument.
When Simons asked whether Feely wanted Trump to campaign in the district, Feely said he would remain consistent with the positions he took during the Republican primary. Trump endorsed Feely during that contest, and Feely said the two had known each other before either entered politics.
No tax on tips. No tax on overtime. No tax on Social Security for seniors.
90% of the people benefiting from these cuts earn less than $100,000 a year.
“I think it will come down to a choice of two things in this district in particular, two visions of where the country is going,” Feely said during the exchange. “You have common-sense measures of Republicans on the right, and you have socialist measures and a Bernie Sanders-type guy in Amish Shah, who has campaigned for him. He talked at some of the DSA rallies and believes in crazy policies that they want to implement.”
My opponent and I have completely different visions for America.
Amish Shah is Bernie Sanders Democrat.
He campaigned with Democratic Socialists of America, who support no borders, no prisons, and no private property rights.
Simons attempted to return Feely to the question about Trump.
“No borders, no prisons, no property rights,” Feely continued. “These are ideas that I don’t think resonate with the people in the First Congressional District or normal, average people around the country.”
“If he were here—” Simons began.
“He could have been here to defend himself,” Feely replied.
Shah appeared at an April 2019 Arizona for Bernie 2020 town hall in Phoenix. The video of his remarks identifies the event as paid for by Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America and states that it was not authorized by a candidate or candidate committee.
Shah spoke in support of Sanders and a universal, single-payer health care system during the event.
“We have a system that is based on the free market, and there are a lot of things that are wrong with that,” Shah said in the recorded remarks. “We need universal, single-payer Medicare for All throughout this country.”
Shah said during the appearance that health care policy was “one of the first things that drew me to Bernie as a candidate.” His current campaign platform continues to describe him as a supporter of universal health care, with an emphasis on expanding coverage, protecting Medicare, and lowering prescription drug prices.
Simons pressed Feely a second time on whether he wanted Trump to campaign in the district, citing its narrow Republican advantage, large population of independent voters, and Trump’s approval ratings.
Feely responded that he would continue knocking on doors, conducting town halls, and speaking with independent voters.
“I handle that by talking to people, by going door to door, town halls with independents, anyone that wants to talk to me and hear our story and why we care about people and how I want to do that in Congress and do it the right way,” Feely said. “That’s how you handle it. You have those conversations and you communicate with them.”
Shah was also the Democratic nominee in 2024, losing to Schweikert by approximately four percentage points. Shah and Feely will face each other in the general election.
The Arizona Supreme Court will hear arguments Sept. 1 in Arizona State University (ASU) professor Owen Anderson’s effort to pursue a lawsuit alleging the school’s mandatory employee training violated state law. The law bars public employers from requiring training that assigns blame or judgment based on race, ethnicity, or sex.
The justices agreed to review whether the Arizona Court of Appeals should have applied factors established in a 1988 state Supreme Court decision before concluding that the law gives employees no implied private right to sue. The court’s review is limited to that enforcement question.
Anderson’s allegation that ASU violated the law remains unresolved. The Court of Appeals also did not decide whether the training’s contents violated the statute.
As AZ Free News reported in February, Anderson asked the high court to take the case after the Court of Appeals held in December that the statute supplied no private cause of action. His attorneys at the Goldwater Institute argued in their petition that the ruling departed from the method Arizona courts have used to determine whether lawmakers intended an implied remedy.
ASU forced a professor to take DEI training as a condition of employment.
ASU required employees to complete its “Inclusive Communities” module, one of three employee-training modules described in the Court of Appeals’ memorandum decision. According to Goldwater’s case materials, employees were instructed to repeat the training every two years, and Anderson viewed but did not complete the module or its accompanying quiz. The philosophy professor brought his lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents in 2024, alleging that the training presented race- and sex-based concepts prohibited by state law.
The statute bars the state and its political subdivisions from requiring employee training that presents “blame or judgment” based on race, ethnicity, or sex. It also prohibits the use of public money for such training and directs the Arizona Department of Administration to submit an annual compliance report to the governor and legislative leaders. The law exempts sexual harassment training from its restrictions.
“Ultimately, the question now before the Arizona Supreme Court isn’t a left or right issue—and it’s not just about DEI—it’s about whether a state employee has the right to hold their employer accountable when it violates the law,” Anderson said in a statement released by the Goldwater Institute.
In a statement to AZ Free News, Dr. Anderson added, “This case is now an employment case. ABOR/ASU is arguing a state employee does not have standing to hold them accountable for breaking § 41-1494. That means this is not a conservative vs. liberal issue. It is an employment issue that will affect all state employees going forward.”
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge denied the Board of Regents’ motion to dismiss Anderson’s statutory claim. The judge found that the Legislature had created an implied right for affected public employees to enforce the prohibition, despite the absence of an express authorization to sue. The Board then filed a special-action petition with the Court of Appeals, which accepted jurisdiction and vacated that portion of the trial court’s ruling.
The appellate panel concluded that the statute’s text contains neither an express nor an implied private right of action. It pointed to the statutory compliance reporting system and said a mandamus action could compel officials to submit the required reports. The panel left the superior court free to consider a separate request for equitable or declaratory relief if a proper party raises that issue on remand, according to the December decision
Goldwater’s petition for review argues that the appellate court should have applied the factors set out in Transamerica Financial Corp. v. Superior Court. Those factors include the statute’s context, language, subject matter, effects, consequences, spirit, and purpose. Goldwater contends that the law protects an identifiable group of public employees and that the reporting requirement does not give an employee a remedy after an alleged violation.
In its supplemental brief, the Board of Regents argues that the Court of Appeals correctly began with the statutory text. The Board says the provision prohibits specified government conduct without granting individuals a cause of action, and that the Legislature’s inclusion of a reporting system shows the enforcement approach it selected. It also points to express private remedies in surrounding statutes and argues that the Legislature deliberately left them out of § 41-1494.
Goldwater Vice President for Litigation Jon Riches said that lawmakers intended state employees to be able to challenge alleged violations in court.
“There is no doubt that when Arizona lawmakers banned mandatory DEI trainings for state workers, they intended for those workers to have ability to challenge their employers in court,” Riches said. “We’re now asking for the Arizona Supreme Court to correct the lower court’s error and restore Arizonans’ right to hold government agencies accountable when they violate the law.”
The hearing comes as Arizona voters prepare to consider Proposition 142 on the November ballot. The separate proposed constitutional amendment would expand the state’s prohibition on preferential treatment and restrict compelled support for race- or ethnicity-based preferential treatment in public education and employment, according to the official ballot language.
Republican congressional nominee Jay Feely and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher joined the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Saturday for the opening of a new campaign “Battlestation” in Scottsdale. The event took place as Republicans build out their ground operation in one of the country’s most competitive congressional races.
The NRCC said the Scottsdale office will serve as a hub for the grassroots operation supporting Feely, including volunteer recruitment, voter contact, and turnout efforts ahead of the general election.
The opening places another piece of the national Republican Party’s field organization directly inside Arizona. In July, Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and the NRCC opened a Battlestation in Sierra Vista for the competitive Sixth Congressional District race.
The NRCC has described its Battlestation program as a multimillion-dollar national investment designed to establish permanent field operations in competitive House districts. In a May strategy document, the committee said it already had more than 20 offices operating around the country.
Battlestation is live — Scottsdale showed up and we are not slowing down. 🌵☀️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ullLTee059
By late June, NOTUS reported that the network had grown to more than 30 Battlestations in key congressional districts. The broader Republican strategy is focused heavily on identifying and turning out voters who supported President Donald Trump but are historically less likely to vote in midterm elections.
The Scottsdale opening comes as Republicans and Democrats prepare for a closely watched contest between Feely and Democratic nominee Amish Shah for the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker and longtime NFL broadcaster, won the Republican primary in July with approximately half of the GOP vote, defeating former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough.
Shah, an emergency physician and former Arizona state representative, won a four-way Democratic primary after defeating former television journalist Marlene Galán-Woods, whom the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had backed. Shah previously challenged Schweikert in 2024 and lost by approximately four percentage points.
The open seat emerged after Schweikert gave up his congressional reelection bid to run for governor. He was subsequently defeated by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05) in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
The district, which includes much of Scottsdale, northeast Phoenix, Paradise Valley, and Fountain Hills, is regarded as one of the races that could help determine control of the House. The Cook Political Report rates CD1 a Toss Up, with a R+1 partisan voting index.
Feely has already received substantial support from national Republicans.
In March, the NRCC named him to its first group of candidates in the committee’s “MAGA Majority” program, the successor to its longtime Young Guns candidate program. The initiative provides targeted Republican candidates with strategic support, resources, and national exposure.
President Trump also endorsed Feely and reiterated that support shortly before the July primary.
“There’s an incredibly important election coming up in your state,” Trump said in a video endorsement, calling Feely a “true America First conservative” and saying he would support lower taxes, reduced regulation, border security, and law enforcement.
Urlacher’s participation in Saturday’s opening also reflects the unusual level of support Feely has received from figures in professional sports. Urlacher spent his entire 13-season NFL career with the Chicago Bears and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. He is also among the sports figures who have financially backed Feely’s congressional campaign.
Campaign finance records show Urlacher contributed $7,000 to Feely.
Feely has also received contributions from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former Phoenix Suns star Charles Barkley, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, broadcaster Jim Nantz, and members of the Arizona Cardinals’ Bidwill family.
After Feely won the primary, the NRCC said after Feely won the primary that Republicans intend to campaign on affordability, economic policy, and public safety in the district.
“As a former NFL player, business leader and charity founder, Jay Feely understands the Valley needs fiscally conservative leadership so every Arizonan can prosper and live the American Dream,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said. “That’s why Arizonans will send Jay Feely to fight the tax-and-spend politicians in Washington D.C., lower the cost of groceries, gas and housing and protect our public safety and quality of life.”
The committee has already begun spending against Shah as well, launching a paid digital advertising campaign following the Democratic primary.
With the Scottsdale Battlestation now open, the national Republican effort in Arizona’s First Congressional District is moving from the primary campaign into its general-election turnout operation with just over two months remaining before Election Day.
