The planned opening of a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Arizona has been delayed.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, and Attorney General Kris Mayes have entered an agreement to pause the conversion of a property in Surprise into an immigration detention center pending an environmental review.
Mayes sued to halt the property conversion in April, claiming DHS and ICE failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The agreement reached on Tuesday acknowledged the Trump administration’s duty to adhere to the former through an environmental analysis, but didn’t address the latter allegation pertaining to the federal government’s duty to arrange for “appropriate” places for immigration detention.
Mayes described the agreement as a “significant win” in a press release issued on Wednesday.
“Federal agencies must complete the environmental review process required by federal law before moving forward with these types of projects,” said Mayes.
This agreement is a significant win for the people of Surprise and for the rule of law. Federal agencies must complete the environmental review process required by federal law before moving forward with these types of projects.
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) July 1, 2026
Similar legal challenges alleging NEPA noncompliance have impacted other immigration detention facility projects in other states: Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey. The Trump administration initially attempted to argue its conversion projects were exempt from the NEPA, but after losing to a challenge in Maryland the administration pivoted on its approach to the Michigan and New Jersey challenges to agree to environmental reviews.
Environmental reviews take typically months, if not years, to complete. However, the Trump administration has recently made a point of expediting environmental reviews in other politically pressing situations.
Last spring, the Department of the Interior announced it would accelerate the review process to be completed in under a month in order to meet the demands of President Donald Trump’s declaration of a National Energy Emergency.
No reports have emerged indicating that the Trump administration plans to undertake similar expediting measures to get the Surprise or other planned immigration detention facilities up and running.
There may not be much of a desire for an expedited turnaround given another recent development.
New leadership within the Trump administration has indicated plans to reverse course on the national buildout of additional detention facilities. ICE announced last month that it would be selling or passing along to other agencies seven of the 11 facilities it had initially purchased to convert into detention facilities. The Surprise facility wasn’t among the seven facilities identified for offloading.
Kristi Noem, former DHS secretary, had directed the facility purchases and guided the conversion plans. The new DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, said in a statement to The New York Times that ICE would be prioritizing plans that facilitated the expedited removal of illegal aliens, not prolonged “hous[ing of them] on American soil at the taxpayer’s expense.” Instead, DHS will maximize the use of existing detention space through state and county partners.
At present, ICE has four facilities in Arizona: the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center in Florence, the Florence Service Processing Center in Florence, the Eloy Detention Center in Eloy, and the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis.
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Stand for Health Freedom has endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs in Arizona’s governor race, adding another national organization to the growing list of groups and elected officials backing his campaign. The endorsement was announced Wednesday by the organization and the Biggs campaign.
Stand for Health Freedom, which describes itself as a grassroots organization representing nearly one million Americans, advocates for policies centered on medical freedom, informed consent, parental rights, religious liberty, privacy, and free speech. According to the organization, it endorsed Biggs based on his record supporting those issues.
@andybiggs4az has a proven track record of taking a stand for health freedom, we are proud to endorse his race for Governor! https://t.co/CqSumVeHSu
— Stand for Health Freedom (@standforhealth1) July 2, 2026
“We must protect the medical freedoms of Arizonans and ensure everyone can make the right health decisions for their families,” Biggs said in a statement.
“From my bipartisan work in passing Right to Try legislation in Congress to pushing back against outrageous and nonsensical COVID mandates, I’ve fought for the MAHA agenda throughout my time as a legislator. As Governor, I’ll make sure Arizona is the healthiest and freest state in the country so our citizens can thrive and prosper without government overreach into health decisions. I thank the Stand for Health Freedom coalition for their support and I look forward to getting their many Arizona members out to vote in 2026.”
The campaign said Biggs has made outreach to supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement a key component of his gubernatorial campaign, including discussing MAHA priorities during the June Republican gubernatorial debate, television interviews, and meetings with health freedom advocates.
The endorsement comes as health freedom legislation and medical autonomy continue to be active issues in Arizona politics. Lawmakers introduced numerous bills addressing vaccines, medical interventions, parental rights, and informed consent during this year’s legislative session, reflecting the continued prominence of health policy debates that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biggs has built much of his congressional record around limiting federal involvement in health care decisions. In December 2025, he introduced the Putting Patients First Healthcare Freedom Act, a legislative package consolidating conservative health care proposals focused on expanding health savings accounts, increasing price transparency, strengthening health care sharing ministries, and other market-based reforms. Biggs also co-sponsored the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act alongside Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), the companion of a Senate measure from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
According to the campaign, the endorsement adds to support Biggs has already received from President Donald Trump, the late Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, U.S. Reps. Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, and Abe Hamadeh, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Maricopa County Supervisors Debbie Lesko and Mark Stewart, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller, along with several conservative organizations and more than 40 current and former Arizona legislators.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) has backed an arrangement to secure lawfare protections for American farmers and ranchers.
Crane was present for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Small Business Administration (SBA) that establishes a joint process to intake, investigate, and resolve lawfare complaints.
As part of the signing, the two agencies hosted a roundtable where farmers and ranchers shared personal testimonies of alleged regulatory and legal overreach.
Two Arizona rancher families impacted by that kind of alleged overreach were present at the event: Dustin and Becki Ross of Windmill Mountain Ranch, and Casey and Meggan Murph of H Bar and Y Ranch.
The Ross family has endured a two-year-long stall on their grazing allotment due to archaeological-clearance requirements, affecting their property maintenance and herd management.
The Murph family faces the potential loss of their grazing leases to a foreign company’s solar project. Their family has worked the land for over 100 years, predating Arizona statehood.
In a press release, Crane accused the federal government of historically siding with environmentalists to target farmers and ranchers. However, Crane said the Trump administration has taken a novel, friendlier approach to the welfare of families like the Rosses and Murphs.
“Farmers and ranchers are the foundation of a strong and thriving nation. Despite their tremendous contributions to our way of life, the federal government has too often stood by as radical environmentalists targeted them,” said Crane. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Loeffler, those days of bureaucratic neglect are over. This Memorandum of Understanding will help protect America’s producers from senseless red tape and litigation. We look forward to continuing this critical partnership and laying the groundwork for a healthy, robust industry for generations to come.”
Under this lawfare protection arrangement, the USDA will collect complaints and the SBA will handle case management and resolution.
The SBA said in its announcement of the memorandum of understanding that the Trump administration has taken a posture of believing the plight of farmers and ranchers first, and seeking justification for the regulations and legal actions that allegedly burden them.
“The goal is to identify patterns of abuse and eliminate regulations that drive up costs and drive down productivity,” stated the SBA. “Family farmers do not have the time or legal resources to fight back when Washington gets it wrong. Under POTUS, we are answering to the producers who power this country, not the bureaucrats who hold them back.
SBA and @USDA have signed a new MOU to help farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses report costly federal rules and lawfare.
Under this partnership, USDA will collect complaints and share them with SBA for case management and resolution.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said their agency’s Lawfare Portal received over 600 submissions from producers across 47 states, including Arizona, who she says were “unfairly targeted by their own government.”
The USDA launched its Lawfare Portal last April in the wake of a high-profile criminal trespass trial involving a South Dakota ranching couple in a land dispute with the U.S. Forest Service. Like the Arizona families at Thursday’s event, the South Dakota couple’s family have worked the land for over 100 years.
There is still so much more work to do.
Since launching USDA's Lawfare Portal last April, we've received more than 600 submissions from producers across 47 states—farmers and ranchers who have been unfairly targeted by their own government. We review every single case because… pic.twitter.com/KLg0w1ykR5
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) July 2, 2026
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A new ruling from the Supreme Court on absentee ballots won’t have any impact on Arizona’s upcoming elections, according to a state senator.
In the Watson v. Republican National Committeedecision issued earlier this week, the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law requiring the acceptance of absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within five days after Election Day. Some refer to this post-Election Day acceptance of ballots as a “grace period.”
The Supreme Court rejected the argument that federal law prevents Mississippi from allowing a grace period.
“[W]hile federal law dictates when ballots must be cast, state law governs when they must be received,” stated the court. “The electorate’s choice is made when voting is complete, not when ballots are received.”
The ruling declared that states have the authority to establish their own laws and regulations concerning deadlines for receiving ballots.
While this may have an impact on elections elsewhere, State Sen. Vince Leach (R-LD17) issued a press release advising that this ruling wouldn’t impact Arizona because state law doesn’t allow for a grace period. Instead, state law requires county election officials to receive early ballots by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Therefore, Leach advised Arizona voters to exercise caution by relying on in-person voting rather than mail-in voting should they cast their ballots closer to Election Day. Election officials recommend voters return their primary ballots by July 14 at the latest to allow sufficient time for the primary election, which is scheduled to take place on July 21. As of this report, early voting is underway.
“Ballots that arrive after that deadline cannot be counted, regardless of when they were mailed or postmarked. Returning ballots early helps ensure every legal vote is counted while supporting the timely administration of Arizona’s elections,” said Leach. “If you’re getting close to Election Day, don’t take chances with the mail. Use an official ballot drop box or vote in person. The rules are clear, and following them is the best way to make sure your vote is counted.”
President Donald Trump called the Supreme Court ruling a “tremendous loss” for voters’ rights. Trump advocated for the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would establish federal requirements for voter ID and proof of citizenship as well as limiting mail-in ballots to those with illnesses, disabilities, military deployment, or approved travel.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) seconded Trump’s call to action.
— RNC Election Integrity (@RNCVoteProtect) June 29, 2026
The Supreme Court issued its decision the same day it announced it would take up the RNC’s case defending Arizona’s law requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said the Supreme Court decision had risked the country’s ability to implement fair and secure elections.
“Democrats are inviting chaos at the ballot box by allowing elections to drag on for days and weeks after voters cast their ballots,” said Gruters. “Republicans are not going to be deterred by this decision, and the RNC will keep fighting to have elections end on Election Day as Americans want.”
Activists reported that they have turned in more than 420,00 signatures for a ballot initiative that would end the universality of Arizona’s school choice program.
Supporters wearing red shirts reading “Public School Proud” affiliated with Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSA) gathered outside the secretary of state’s office to watch the box truck delivery of the boxes containing the signatures for the ballot initiative. Both SOSA and the Arizona Education Association (AEA) were behind the initiative.
SOSA and the AEA contend the universality of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program diverts far too much in funding away from public schools. Families within the program don’t have to depart their public schools; however, since the expansion of the ESA program to all students in 2022, enrollment in public schools has declined. Defenders of the ESA program counter that per-pupil spending in the program costs less than in public schooling.
ESA program funds may be used for private school tuition, tutoring, online courses, homeschool curriculum, educational therapies, textbooks, educational software, testing fees, and college courses.
The Protect Education Act (PEA) would impose income restrictions on the ESA program.
Estimates show that approximately 20,300 current students in the ESA program would be disqualified under the PEA initially, though that number would grow to exclude more than half of Arizona’s families with school-aged children due to inflationary impact on incomes outpacing the income cap adjustment.
The act would also impose accreditation requirements and further restrictions on spending.
The ESA program has reported the enrollment of more than 100,000 students. More than 8,200 were listed as new students enrolled for the next school year.
Those who support keeping the universality of the ESA program have been maneuvering to preserve protections for some member families.
The Republican majority in the state legislature passed a ballot measure of their own last month: HCR 2048, the “Military Families College Savings and Scholarship Protection Act,” which would amend the Arizona Constitution to prohibit the confiscation of ESA program funds from students belonging to military families.
Should voters approve both the lawmakers’ measure and PEA, it is likely the latter would be voided under language included in the former.
In addition, Doug Ducey, the former governor who signed universal school choice into Arizona law, made an announcement Thursday of a political action committee dedicated to securing school choice protections for military families. Ducey was announced as the chairman of the Protect Military Families PAC.
“Out-of-state special interests and their union allies are trying to take educational scholarships away from the children of Arizona’s military families,” said Ducey.
Serving alongside Ducey on the political action committee is Ashley Ragan, president of InCompliance AZ.
Out-of-state special interests and their union allies are trying to take educational scholarships away from the children of Arizona’s military families.
That is why today, we are proud to launch Protect Military Families PAC @ProtectMilFam.
The Goldwater Institute, a public policy think tank and litigation organization, filed a motion in the Maricopa County Superior Court earlier this week on behalf of two military families involved in the ESA program.
The organization said that about 1,000 other military families stand to be disqualified from the ESA program should the universalization end.
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Arizona’s unemployment rate has now hit a new high following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state’s unemployment rate neared 5% according to a new data analysis report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona (CSI). Based on this newly calculated rate, Arizona has the 12th-highest unemployment rate in the nation.
Unemployment hit 4.8% in May, with CSI saying broader data indicators have revealed the state’s labor market to be cooling despite job growth.
The addition of 2,000 non-farm jobs in May put Arizona at 30th for national job growth. Overall, the nation experienced growth with the addition of 172,000 jobs.
As for job growth year-over-year, Arizona added over 21,200 jobs. That qualified the state as the 10th best in the nation for job growth year-over-year.
Mining jobs increased by about 1,300 over the past year. CSI attributed this growth to the increased demand for copper by electric vehicles, artificial intelligence technology, and data centers.
Manufacturing jobs also increased by 500 over the past year. Trade, transportation, and utility jobs declined by 1,600 over the past year.
Arizona’s labor participation also hit a post-pandemic milestone. The state’s labor force participation rate fell just below 61 percent: the lowest level seen since 2020. Last May, the labor force participation rate was over 62 percent.
Along with rising unemployment and compressed labor participation, Arizona’s private-sector wages increased by over three percent over the year to $35.78. However, that total lags behind the national average of $37.53.
Arizonans may have felt these changes to Arizona’s employment climate more acutely due to major year-over-year changes with state spending.
CSI attributed the state’s budget shortfall to overspending.
Another recent analysis released earlier this month by CSI found that the state budget has experienced rapid growth over the past decade.
In just 10 years, the state budget doubled and now amounts to more than 10% of the state’s gross domestic product.
Per CSI, spending pressures have remained elevated despite normalized revenue growth.
Some items that CSI said to blame were the disparities between Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) enrollment and member costs, elevated demands from the Development Disabilities Program (DDP), and federal payment error rates impacting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) obligations.
AHCCCS enrollment fell by about 10% (over 200,000 people) but average per-member costs increased by 14%.
DDP was projected to require an additional $400 million in state spending by next year.
And the state may have to cover $300 million in annual SNAP cost-sharing obligations should federal payment error rates fail to be reduced in the near future.
Total state spending reached over $70 billion in the 2026 fiscal year, and estimates projected spending to approach $75 billion in the 2027 fiscal year. Of the 2026 fiscal year total state spending, close to $50 billion is expected to come from non-appropriated funds.
CSI found that spending not subject to regular legislative appropriations has grown by more than 150% over the past decade, though appropriated spending grew by about 100%.
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