Speaker McCarthy Promises More Border Attention While Mayorkas Visits Poland Border

Speaker McCarthy Promises More Border Attention While Mayorkas Visits Poland Border

By Terri Jo Neff |

While U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) led a group of Republican lawmakers to Cochise County last week, the beleaguered U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas made news for his own border visit – in Poland.  

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (AZ) hosted the Feb. 16 visit of McCarthy and three other first year members of Congress to southern Arizona. They arrived just days after the National Sheriffs Association met in Washington, D.C., with many sheriffs renewing a call for lawmakers to get educated about the southwest border crisis. 

Such visits have occurred in the past, by both Republicans and Democrats, but McCarthy appears committed to keeping attention on the border for at least a few more weeks.

A visit to Arizona is already planned for this month by the House Judiciary Committee, which is promoting the trip as a “field hearing.” A similar road trip is being arranged for the House Homeland Security Committee in March, although the destination has not been announced.

McCarthy also promised there will be hearings in Washington, D.C. in an effort to secure the border with or without the cooperation of the Biden administration.

But as U.S. lawmakers focus on securing America’s southern border, fallout continues from the visit Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made to Poland, as he continues to downplay the crisis in the U.S.

Much of the focus of McCarthy’s recent visit revolved around the continued flow of illegal border crossers and an unprecedented flow of deadly fentanyl. Unlike Yuma County and much of the Texas / Mexico border, Cochise County typically does not see large groups of crossers, and certainly not the kind of groups who turn themselves in to federal authorities.

Instead, U. S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement officials deal with small groups that go to extreme efforts to avoid detection and capture. McCarthy also addressed the national impact of the increase in drug smuggling incidents, with unprecedented volumes of fentanyl making its way to the Midwest and Northeast after coming through Arizona.

“Today more than 300 Americans will be poisoned and die from fentanyl,” said McCarthy. “Tomorrow there will be 300 more. That’s the equivalent of an airline crashing.”

Accompanying McCarthy and Ciscomani were Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR), Jen Kiggans (VA), and Derrick Van Orden (WI).

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.

Lake Hopes Third Time Is the Charm With AZ Supreme Court

Lake Hopes Third Time Is the Charm With AZ Supreme Court

By Terri Jo Neff |

Kari Lake has announced she will once again seek review from the Arizona Supreme Court of her claims that she, and not Katie Hobbs, is the state’s legitimate governor.

It will be Lake’s third such effort since the Nov. 8, 2022 General Election, and comes after the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a Feb. 16 opinion upholding a Maricopa County judge’s dismissal back in December of Lake’s election challenge.   

Lake has claimed in various legal pleadings that Hobbs’ victory by more than 17,000 votes was improperly influenced by myriad Election Day problems in Maricopa County.  As a result, Lake has been seeking to have the county’s election certification voided in the governor’s race.

Her legal filings have argued that a judge should declare Lake as the rightful winner based on various evidence presented to the court. Or in the alternative, she wants an order for a new election in Maricopa County in the governor race. 

Last week’s unanimous appellate opinion noted Lakes’ request for relief “fails because the evidence presented to the superior court ultimately supports the court’s conclusion that voters were able to cast their ballots, that votes were counted correctly, and that no other basis justifies setting aside the election results.”

The opinion authored by Chief Judge Kent E. Cattani and joined by Presiding Judge Maria Elena Cruz and Judge Pro Tempore Peter B. Swann came on the heels of two failed earlier attempts by Lake’s legal team to bypass the appellate court and have the Arizona Supreme Court hear the case.

Lake now has until March 20 to file a Petition for Review with the state’s high court. There is no guarantee, however, that the Justices will accept the case.

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.

Toma’s Bipartisan Committee Expected To Grow State’s International Trade Opportunities

Toma’s Bipartisan Committee Expected To Grow State’s International Trade Opportunities

By Terri Jo Neff |

A new bipartisan committee has been established by Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma to help the state cultivate its international trade opportunities.

On Feb. 16, Toma announced formation of the House Committee on International Trade, which will focus on growing Arizona’s international trade presence and stature, build relationships with international partners, enhance trade and foreign investment, and strengthen border security.

“Our state has tremendous opportunity to grow our trade footprint with international partners, and that is the intention behind this new committee,” Toma said, adding that trade “fuels our state’s economic growth, generating business and job opportunities – all which is also critical for the prosperity of Arizona families.”

The Committee on International Trade members appointed by Toma are Rep. David Cook and Rep. Justin Wilmeth as chair and co-chair, respectively, along with House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, Minority Whip Melody Hernandez, and Reps. Tim Dunn, Mariana Sandoval, and Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton.

“We’re eager to work on building Arizona’s economy while strengthening our international relations,” Hernandez said after the announcement.

According to Toma, the Committee will be responsible for organizing visits to Arizona by international dignitaries, as well as identify and work with outside organizations to strengthen Arizona’s international trade relationships. The members are also expected to  hold various hearings related to foreign trade, international affairs, and border security.

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.

Dannels Expresses Frustration During Border Testimony to Congressional Committee

Dannels Expresses Frustration During Border Testimony to Congressional Committee

By Terri Jo Neff |

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels was asked to address the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary last week about the southwest border crisis, and he did not waste the opportunity, expressing frustration with how the Biden administration is avoiding the situation.

“Our southern border, against all public comfort statements out of Washington, D.C., is in the worst shape I have ever seen it,” Dannels testified. “When one looks at Public Safety, National Security, and Humanitarian, our southern border is the largest crime scene in the country.”

Dannels, who is the immediate past-president of the Arizona Sheriffs Association and chair of the National Sheriffs Association Border Security, told Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan and the committee he has personally experienced “the good, the bad, and the ugly” while working in border communities for nearly 40 years.  

The sheriff acknowledged there “has always” been some border-related crimes such as illicit drugs, human smuggling, and weapons trafficking by Cartels. But prior to President Joe Biden taking office in January 2021, Cochise County was “one on the safest border counties” thanks to a cooperative effort that included enforcing the law, Dannels explained. 

But Dannels told the Congressional committee he and other sheriffs have had “little to no success” in trying to partner with the White House to address the growing crisis caused by Biden’s open border policies the last two years.

As a result, the “intellectual avoidance” of border issues by Biden is being exploited by the Cartels to support their reign of “violence, fear, and greed,” Dannels said.

“Violence against innocent citizens, public officials, law enforcement, and rival drug / human trafficking groups in Mexico continues to escalate,” Dannels testified, adding it has left communities in Cochise County feeling “neglected and abandoned.”

Cochise County typically does not experience the type of mass self-surrenders seen in Yuma and some border crossings in Texas. Instead, the county’s 80 miles of international border are preferred by what Dannels called “Fight & Flight” crossers, many of whom are convicted criminals who go to great lengths to avoid detection.

This has now resulted in an all-time high of border crimes in the county, Dannels testified. And it is not just property crimes the sheriff was referring to – he pointed to a significant uptick in aggravated assaults, injury traffic accidents, and homicides directly related to Cartels exploiting the border.  

According to Dannels, Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in Cochise County “are highly sophisticated and innovative in their transportation methods” and utilize “sophisticated and technical communications and counter surveillance equipment to counter law enforcements interdiction tactics and strategies.”

It raises the question, the sheriff noted, of who actually controls our borders.

“By allowing our border security mission and immigration laws to be discretionary, these Criminal Cartels continue to be the true winners,” Dannels testified, adding that the continuance of deaths and hardships as Congress and the Biden administration “intentionally avoids reality is gross negligence.”

Dannels provided the House Judiciary Committee with several suggestions for how the federal government could quickly secure the border and address the violence.

“One would hope the priority of securing our border doesn’t become just about a price tag and/or political posturing, but rather the legal and moral requirement to safeguard all of America, which so many heroic Americans have already paid the ultimate price for,” Dannels said.

Dannels reiterated his frustration later in the week during an interview with KFYI’s James T. Harris.

“We have a border that is out of control,” Dannels told Harris, adding that his pleas did not appear to resonate with many of those in power in the Beltway because “it’s not in their Washington, D.C. backyard.”

LISTEN TO DANNELS

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.

TUSD Accused of Trapping Employees in Public Sector Unions

TUSD Accused of Trapping Employees in Public Sector Unions

By Terri Jo Neff |

The Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is violating state and federal law by making it too difficult for its employees to leave a labor union, according to a Jan. 18 letter sent to district officials by the Goldwater Institute. 

Parker Jackson, staff attorney with the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, advised TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo that a review of five collective bargaining agreements revealed “alarming restrictions” which infringe on the rights of district employees.

“We request that the District immediately act to bring these agreements and policies and practices made pursuant to them into compliance with federal and state law,” Jackson wrote to Trujillo and the district’s governing board. 

At issue are memoranda of understanding (MOU) which TUSD has entered into with four labor organizations: the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 449, AFL-CIO (“AFSCME”); the Communications Workers of America (“CWA”); Educational Leaders, Inc. (“ELI”); and the Tucson Education Association (“TEA”) with which there are two agreements.

TUSD employees may freely join a union at any time, but an employee covered by one of the five agreements must receive authorization from union bosses before district officials will process a request to resign from the union. This is unlawful, Jackson wrote, as it restricts when an employee may terminate their union membership and halt union dues deductions from their paychecks.

And then there is the issue of deduction revocation windows and/or deadlines which Jackson’s letter says do not comport with federal or state law. District policies and practices further exacerbate the unconstitutional activity.

For instance, the MOU with AFSCME—which Jackson calls “the worst of the five agreements”—restricts membership cancellation and dues deduction revocations to only two weeks per year, from May 1 to May 15. Similarly, the CWA agreement only permits cancellation of membership and dues deductions in July, while the other MOUs have comparable revocation restrictions.

This often results in an employee revoking their consent to union membership, only to have TUSD continue to deduct dues from each paycheck until the next opt-out period commences or the current membership year ends.

“This is not only unfair and predatory—it is also unconstitutional,” Jackson contends. “An employee revocation is obviously evidence that an employee does not affirmatively consent to pay union dues.”

Jackson’s letter to Trujillo cites Arizona’s Right to Work laws, the U.S. and Arizona constitutions, and various court cases in making its arguments.

“In order to prevent ongoing and future unconstitutional activity, the District must immediately revoke or revise any MOU provision that includes a union dues opt-out period and any requirement that a labor union must approve an employee’s request to stop the deduction of union dues,” Parker wrote. “The District must also revise any policy and procedure that imposes these unconstitutional conditions.”

The Goldwater Institute, which is dedicated to upholding the constitutional rights of all citizens, is a public policy and public interest litigation organization. It frequently initiates lawsuits when government entities do not voluntarily change conduct.

“The Goldwater Institute will always defend the constitutional right of all citizens to associate—or not associate—with whatever private organizations they choose,” Parker said after making the TUSD letter public. “Restrictive dues deduction revocation windows and deadlines, of course, are designed to make it difficult for people to leave powerful labor organizations. Fortunately, the U.S. and Arizona constitutions protect workers and prohibit the school district and the unions’ money grab.”

Terri Jo Neff is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or send her news tips here.