An American citizen is in critical condition after evading Border Patrol agents while smuggling illegal aliens over the weekend.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detailed the incident in a Tuesday press release. Detection technology observed the unnamed citizen driving a “suspicious” white Nissan Rogue traveling northbound from the border near Parker Canyon Lake around Sonoita around 3 pm on Saturday. The pursuit leading to the crash began after field agents located the car driving on state Route 83.
The vehicle stopped briefly to allow three individuals to exit, where they ran into the surrounding high desert. The vehicle continued northbound to evade Border Patrol agents along the highway, driving further for about four miles before apparently losing control and rolling onto its side. The driver lost consciousness on impact and sustained critical injuries.
Agents arrested two Guatemalan illegal immigrants and one Mexican illegal immigrant following the crash. All face charges for illegal reentry into the country, while the incapacitated driver faces alien smuggling charges.
U.S. citizen involvement in illegal alien smuggling has continued even amid heightened border security and mass deportation efforts under the Trump administration. A key initiative concerned Mexico and Canada committing 20,000 total troops and personnel to the southern and northern borders, respectively, to stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
Border Patrol also recently teamed up with the Department of Defense to beef up border security.
Serious Strykers for a serious mission. Border Patrol is teaming up with the Department of Defense to enhance Border security. pic.twitter.com/XcJym2lsdP
Field agents apprehended other Americans smuggling seven illegal aliens on Tuesday, also in the Sonoita area. The illegal aliens faced illegal entry and illegal reentry charges.
7 illegal aliens squeeze into a Tacoma to be smuggled into the U.S. Sonoita Agents spiked a vehicle attempting to flee from agents west of Sonoita, AZ. When agents caught up to the vehicle, it stopped, and 7 illegal aliens bailed out. While agents placed the United States… pic.twitter.com/2IF8l6LMyf
Two vehicles driven by two American citizens were apprehended in Willcox earlier this week.
Doubling down on smuggling loads with AZ DPS. Willcox agents assisted @Arizona_DPS , who stopped 2 vehicles involved in illegal alien smuggling. 2 United States Citizens and 3 illegal aliens from Mexico were arrested. A Jeep Cherokee and Ford Mustang belonging to the United… pic.twitter.com/z9nVbKPZXy
On Monday, Arizona lawmakers joined activists in hosting an anti-deportation discussion panel at South Mountain Community College.
The event, “Resisting Mass Deportation,” featured State Senator Catherine Miranda (D-LD11) and State Representative Brian Garcia (D-LD08) along with American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona executive director Victoria Lopez, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) Arizona members, and Arizona Luminaria staff writer John Washington (also the author of the books “The Dispossessed: A Story of Asylum at the US-Mexico Border and Beyond” and “The Case for Open Borders”).
The ACLU of Arizona and LUCHA Arizona arranged the panel.
“Trump’s mass deportation agenda has oversaturated the news. His administration is pushing the moral and legal bounds of our country to expedite deportations, disregarding people’s rights and humanity in the process,” read the ACLU event page. “At the same time, the Arizona state legislature is advancing several bills that would force our state to do the anti-immigrant bidding of the federal government, use state resources to fuel the mass deportation machine, incentivize police to prioritize immigration enforcement over public safety, and more.”
A press release from the ACLU described the panel as a means of organizing “to take direct action to stop anti-immigrant legislation advancing in the state legislature.”
One such bill of concern for the anti-deportation faction is SB1164, the “Arizona ICE Act.”
The Arizona ICE Act would enable officials or agencies of Arizona or a county, city, town, or other political subdivision to enter into agreements with any federal agency for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. The legislation would also prohibit officials or agencies of Arizona as well as counties, cities, towns, or other political subdivisions from establishing, adopting, or enforcing “any policy, pattern, or practice” that hinders cooperation with federal immigration authorities in immigration enforcement. SB1164 also allowed local governments to access federal resources and state agencies to issue grants for purposes of immigration enforcement.
The House Government Committee passed the Arizona ICE Act last week.
Miranda, who co-chairs the Latino Legislative Caucus, spoke out against the bill recently. She claimed the bill would only “worsen public safety.” Miranda expressed confidence in Governor Katie Hobbs’ intent to veto the bill.
“Arizona knows from experience that encouraging local agencies to engage in federal immigration enforcement will lead to racial profiling and discrimination, particularly against Hispanic, Latino, and other immigrant communities,” said Miranda.
🚨 Bad bill alert: watch State Senator and Latino Caucus Co-Chair Catherine Miranda (LD11) talk about SB1164 or the Arizona ICE Act and how it will harm Arizona’s communities. pic.twitter.com/y7spIFaC1O
— AZ Latino Legislative Caucus (@AZLatinoLC) March 27, 2025
Hobbs’ lack of support for the bill would conflict with her recent pledge last month to secure the border and reduce illegal immigration. Hobbs issued an executive order reminiscent of her predecessor, Doug Ducey, which directed the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona Department of Homeland Security to create a joint task force, Operation Desert Guardian, to expand border security. The task force partners with the federal government and local law enforcement to stop transnational crime organizations within the border counties.
Under the Trump administration, border encounters dropped by over 90 percent and drug smuggling has slowed tremendously. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels confirmed as such in a recent interview with KTAR News.
“Whether you like Trump or not, it’s irrelevant. It’s working,” said Dannels.
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The Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) says it intends to replace Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Tom Horne in 2026.
AFC’s chairman, State Senator Jake Hoffman, claimed to a press gaggle on Monday that Horne hasn’t put sufficient work into protecting the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program (ESA Program). Hoffman accused Horne of leaving the state legislature to do all the work to protect the state’s school choice program.
Hoffman called Horne “the single greatest threat” to the ESA Program.
“Thanks to the legislature and the conservative leadership that we have, Katie Hobbs is unable to make serious, negative, adverse reforms to school choice in this state. However, Tom Horne is the single greatest threat to school choice. Tom Horne is the single greatest threat to the ESA Program. Tom Horne is the single greatest threat to nearly 100,000 students and their families that are utilizing those programs right now. And so I will certainly be looking for a Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate to challenge Tom Horne.”
Horne denied the accusations from Hoffman in a direct response to the senator.
“I brought charter schools to Arizona when I served in the legislature in the 90s,” said Horne. “I’ve fought to keep ESAs and school choice from an Attorney General and Governor who want it gone. I’m happy to debate you anytime on these issues.”
I brought charter schools to Arizona when I served in the legislature in the 90s. I've fought to keep ESAs and school choice from an Attorney General and Governor who want it gone. I'm happy to debate you anytime on these issues @JakeHoffmanAZ. https://t.co/pPYFjkV5l9
Hoffman took issue with the proposed 2024-2025 ESA Handbook last month. Hoffman and fellow Republicans submitted a letter to the Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) urging the draft’s rejection.
🚨 ESA ALERT 🚨
The 2024-2025 ESA Handbook was just published & has MAJOR problems!
ESA Parents are NOT happy.
The State Board of Ed is set to approve the flawed handbook THIS MONDAY.
ASBE declined to approve the new handbook during its meeting last week. The board delayed a decision on the proposed handbook for its next meeting toward the end of this month. Horne was the sole board member to motion for a board vote on the proposed handbook during their last meeting.
Horne has consistently presented himself as “the main defender” of the ESA Program. Horne explained the perceived limitations on ESA Program expenditures were necessary written safeguards against abuse of the program.
Per Horne, parents have attempted to take advantage of current unwritten limitations on reimbursements, such as requesting coverage for a $5,000 Rolex watch and a $24,000 golf simulator.
“[These are] abuse of things that are not really for the educational benefit of the child. It’s obvious there has to be some limitations,” said Horne.
The SPI has also pushed back against attempts by Attorney General Kris Mayes and Governor Katie Hobbs — both staunch opponents of the ESA Program and the concept of school choice in general — to undermine and cripple the ESA Program with allegations of poor oversight and management.
Horne says he has consistently referred cases of fraud to Mayes for investigation, as well as increased staffing for auditing and investigative purposes.
“Under my leadership, the department has done a full-court press against waste and fraud. I hired both a program auditor and an investigator, which had not been done before,” said Horne in a January response to Hobbs’ State of the State. “I require that every expenditure be for a valid educational purpose and have been attacked for doing that.”
Nearly 87,800 students participate in the ESA Program as of Monday’s count.
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A man has been arrested in the viral assault of a Tesla driver near Flagstaff.
Police named the arrested individual as 33-year-old Robert Artherton of Flagstaff. According to a statement from the Flagstaff Police Department (FPD), Artherton was arrested via a criminal citation for disorderly conduct, assault, and aggressive driving in the “road rage incident that escalated into a violent encounter.”
The FPD statement also stated that conflicting accounts existed as to what led up to the assault and how the incident played out, with witnesses reporting “erratic driving behavior” from both Artherton and the victim, a 61-year-old woman who maintained anonymity in her remarks to the media.
Video evidence showed Artherton drove his Chevrolet Cavalier in front of the Tesla along Route 66, preventing the female driver from continuing forward. Artherton then exited his vehicle in order to approach the driver’s side of the Tesla and reportedly began punching the driver repeatedly. FPD confirmed both drivers sustained minor injuries from the altercation.
“All parties involved allege that the incident was triggered by driving behaviors, honking, and disorderly hand gestures,” stated FPD. “At the time of the investigation no additional details regarding the motives behind the incident were provided.”
The woman told AZ Family she felt she was attacked for her perceived political stance or, at the very minimum, the current perceived political statement of owning a Tesla.
“I didn’t buy my car for a political statement,” said the woman. “I bought my car because it is really fun to drive. My politics have nothing to do with that. I’m ashamed of our society and what they are doing.”
The incident occurred earlier this month. FPD did not confirm whether the assault was a case of apolitical road rage or due to the fact that the woman was driving a Tesla.
Many in the public sphere connected the assault with the ongoing vitriol and violence issued by those opposed to Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh condemned the incident and called for greater responses to the ongoing verbal and physical attacks.
“Unable to come to terms with their historic loss in November, & spurred on by the incendiary anti-Elon rhetoric of the leaders of their party, the radical left has resorted to violence,” said Hamadeh. “This needs to stop before more people are hurt.”
This 61-year-old woman was assaulted while driving Route 66 near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Her “crime?” Driving a Tesla.
Unable to come to terms with their historic loss in November, & spurred on by the incendiary anti-Elon rhetoric of the leaders of their party, the radical left has… pic.twitter.com/a6LBLa7Fkj
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) March 30, 2025
Congressman Eli Crane called the attack “shameful behavior.”
Last week, the FBI announced the creation of a dedicated task force to “crack down on violent Tesla attacks,” including fires set to Tesla vehicles and charging stations. The FBI categorized the attacks as “domestic terrorism.” The FBI is coordinating with the ATF to investigate criminal activity.
FBI Director Kash Patel promised a swift response from his agency.
“This is domestic terrorism,” said Patel. “Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi backed these characterizations earlier this month.
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The Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) declined to approve the new handbook for the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program.
ASBE discussed the proposed 2025-2026 ESA Handbook during its meeting on Monday. Though it had the opportunity to approve the handbook during the meeting, a majority of the board indicated a desire to abstain from voting on the handbook until their upcoming April meeting.
Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Superintendent Tom Horne motioned for ASBE to take a vote on the handbook, but no other board member seconded his motion.
The ESA executive director, John Ward, said the new handbook was more user friendly, with information clarified and organized, redundancies reduced, hyperlinked statutes and rules, a clarified list of spending limits on items associated with risks of abuse, and a new chapter on enrollments.
A point of concern for ASBE board members related to ESA Program approvals of expenditures, namely of the sort opposed by Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Mayes’ Government Accountability Unit launched an investigation into the ESA Program over its expense authorizations last July. Mayes accused the ESA Program of approving supplementary materials without documentation of a curriculum nexus, approving certain curriculum materials without curriculum documentation, and approving textbook expenses without documentation demonstrating a qualified school or eligible postsecondary institution requires it.
During Monday’s meeting, Ward clarified there were certain “common” educational items for which the ESA Program didn’t require curriculum in order to not burden families, such as pencils and paper. Ward said the attorney general’s letter prompted them to split the supplemental materials listings into two: those that will always require a curriculum nexus and those that are general educational items which, pending the ongoing court case’s outcome on the matter, may never require a curriculum nexus.
There were over 87,600 students reported within the ESA program as of Tuesday.
The ESA Program continues to be a source of conflict between statewide officials.
Governor Katie Hobbs targeted the ESA Program during her State of the State address in January. Hobbs’ criticisms prompted a rebuttal from Horne; he said the governor was ignorant to the administration of the program.
In his explanation of the new ESA Program Handbook earlier this month, Horne dismissed one major opposing claim: that the program needs to reimburse parents without question of the expenses.
Horne said the ADE’s oversight of expenditures successfully prevented abusive charges, such as a $5,000 Rolex watch and a $24,000 golf simulator.
“[These are] abuse of things that are not really for the educational benefit of the child. It’s obvious there has to be some limitations,” said Horne.
Unlike his predecessor, Horne has repeatedly stepped up to defend the ESA Program.
“Parents should have the choice to be sure their child is in a school that meets the needs of that child,” said Horne. “The ESAs are really not really a challenge to the public schools; they supplement them and make sure that all students are in an environment where needs are being met.”
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