by Matthew Holloway | Feb 17, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
The ASU ‘Aliento’ Club, a pro-illegal immigration activist nonprofit funded by George Soros, hosted a training workshop entitled “Know your Rights,” aimed at providing illegal immigrant students with strategies to avoid deportation.
According to Cronkite News, the event “aimed to empower students with information about their rights following the changing landscape of U.S. immigration policies.” Co-chair of Aliento at ASU Emily Sotelo Estrada told Cronkite, “All of these students … they have homes. They have families. And it’s important that they know their rights. So the purpose of this presentation was to, for one, educate them, because we at Aliento believe that that’s the most important, most powerful tool that we all have.”
In a post to X, Aliento stated that the organization had made presentations to “240+ students, 21 schools, 75 conversations,” as well as “two powerful days at the AZ Capitol!”
The group also celebrated an Aliento protest led by Estrada against a peaceful tabling demonstration by the College Republicans United at Arizona State (CRU) on February 5th.
As reported by the Arizona Daily Independent, Aliento was founded by Reyna Montoya, who was the recipient of $132,200 in seed-money from George Soros’ Open Society Institute in 2016-18 “to organize people directly affected by the immigration detention system to generate narratives that emphasize the humanity of those in detention and to create policy recommendations for reform.”
The workshop provided ASU’s illegal immigrant and activist students with useful tips such as how to readily identify ICE vehicles, the laws surrounding legal searches, and contact numbers for immigration attorneys.
In an image published by Cronkite, an Aliento slide can be seen advising illegal immigrants to “Have a U.S. citizen or someone who is not undocumented drive,” and “Limit your driving to essentials,” in addition to advising that with police, “Know any interaction could lead to an arrest,” and that they should “Discern emergency from help,” suggesting that they should avoid contacting police except as a last resort.
The organization also advised illegal immigrants to explicitly use their U.S.-born children as proxies to interact with state agencies suggesting: “ONLY give information to US Children when asking for public benefits – DO NOT LIE or give inaccurate info.”
Diana Cortes, program chair for Aliento at ASU, told the university publication, “The fear and everything that’s growing – we’re just here to listen to the people’s concerns and address them. We’re having ‘Know Your Rights’ and all of those workshops in response to what’s being asked from us from our community.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 17, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona legislator is seeking to help veterans in his state.
Last week, Arizona State Representative Justin Wilmeth announced that he had introduced HB 2871 “to allocate $10 million for clinical research on ibogaine.” According to a press release issued by the Arizona House of Representatives Republican Caucus, ibogaine is “a promising potential treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – conditions that have severely affected many veterans returning from combat.”
In a statement that accompanied the announcement of the bill introduction, Wilmeth said, “Our military heroes put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms, yet when they come home, too many are left suffering in silence. Traditional treatments have fallen short, and the reality is stark – veterans with TBI and PTSD are at an alarmingly high risk of suicide. Ibogaine treatment has shown incredible promise, and Arizona has an opportunity to take the lead in finding solutions that give these men and women real hope and real healing.”
Wilmeth added, “Veterans who sustained brain injuries in combat shouldn’t have to leave the country to access treatment that could change their lives. We owe it to our veterans to explore every option to help them have a full and healthy life. If this research can prove that ibogaine can truly heal the unseen wound of war, Arizona will be at the forefront of revolutionizing care for our warriors.”
The press release from the state lawmaker shared that “ibogaine, a plant-derived treatment with roots in West Africa, has drawn increasing attention for its potential to mitigate PTSD symptoms and neurological damage. Veterans, including Congressman Morgan Luttrell and retired SEAL Marcus Luttrell, have credited ibogaine with helping them recover from the physical and mental toll of combat. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has also emerged as a vocal advocate, calling ibogaine treatment a ‘lifeline’ for veterans.”
If signed into law, HB 2871 would “direct the Arizona Department of Health Services to award grants to a research institution with proven expertise in neurological studies to conduct a certified clinical study on the use of ibogaine for treating TBI and PTSD.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 17, 2025 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to help improve students’ focus at schools around Arizona passed a legislative committee.
Last week, the Arizona House Committee on Science & Technology passed HB 2484 “to require school districts and charter schools to adopt policies that regulate student access to the internet and limit the use of wireless communication devices during the school day.” State Representative Beverly Pingerelli is the sponsor of the legislation.
In a statement that accompanied the announcement of the bill’s progress, Representative Pingerelli said, “The excessive use of cell phones in schools is a growing crisis that is harming our children’s education and well-being. It’s time to restore order in the classroom. My bill ensures that schools establish common-sense policies to keep students focused on learning rather than scrolling through social media and texting during class. The goal is simple: devices should be ‘away for the day’ so kids can engage in their education, free from constant digital distractions.”
Pingerelli added, “Education should be about equipping our children with knowledge and skills, not competing with TikTok and Snapchat for their attention. This bill restores a learning environment where teachers can teach, and students can succeed.”
Additional information about the bill revealed that it would “require school districts and charter schools to adopt policies that restrict student access to social media on school-provided internet and limit personal device use during instructional time, allow teachers to grant access to social media only when necessary for educational purposes, [and] ensure that students can use their devices in emergencies or when directed by a teacher for academic work.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Stand for Children, AZ School Administrators, and Arizona School Boards Association signed in to support the proposal; while a representative from the Arizona Education Association signed in as neutral.
State Representatives Biasiucci, Gress, Hendrix, and Márquez joined as co-sponsors of the bill.
In committee, all nine members of the panel voted to send the bill to the full House, giving this proposal an overwhelmingly bipartisan win ahead of its next step in the legislative journey.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 16, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona legislature has passed the combined SB 1011 / HB 2703, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk. SB 1011 and HB 2703 would streamline the state’s election day processes to dramatically speed up election results and bring frustrated voters same-day returns.
To achieve the desired result of a speedier and more precise election outcome, the bills cut off all ballot drop-offs at collection locations to the Friday prior to election day and require voters in Arizona’s most populous counties to confirm their address every election cycle to receive a ballot by mail. For more sparsely populated counties, this would be every four years.
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, celebrated the passage of the bill saying, “After one too many Election Nights (and weeks) of delayed results, Arizona legislators have done the right thing, crafting a bill that gives our state same-day results.”
He added, “Voters are exhausted of watching this slow-motion train wreck every November. Other states have same-day election results, and it is high time that Arizona enters the 21st Century in this regard. We call on Governor Katie Hobbs to sign this carefully crafted and negotiated bill into law.”
Following the passage of the bill in the State Senate, President Warren Petersen told Fox10, “After the election, we heard from our constituents who were extremely frustrated after waiting days and days to find out who won the election. The first bill to hit the Governor’s desk is a bill that will give us election results the night of the election.”
In a post to X, the AZGOP hailed the passage of the bill and demanded that Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs sign the bill writing, “GREAT NEWS FOR ARIZONA! Both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bill that would give our voters SAME-DAY results in future elections. This is what the people of Arizona have asked for, and our legislators have delivered. Now, it’s up to @GovernorHobbs to listen to the voices of Arizonans who are tired of waiting days and days for the results of critical election races. Governor, leave your partisan politics outside your office and SIGN THE BILL!”
On Friday, the party account posted morning, afternoon and evening calling upon Hobbs to sign the bill and “Give Arizona same-day election results!”
As reported by Fox, Hobbs has voiced serious opposition to the bill, arguing that it makes it harder to vote by cutting off early drop-off and effectively shuttering the state’s Active Early Voting List. “Legislators are attempting to jam through a partisan bill that guts vote by mail and makes it harder to vote,” she claimed. “I offered common sense compromises to count votes faster, and they were rejected. I refuse to let extremists make it harder for Arizonans to vote.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 16, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A bill to amend the Arizona Constitution to prohibit the state, cities, towns, and counties from tracking, taxing, or limiting vehicle miles traveled has passed a House committee and is moving to a floor vote. If approved by the Arizona House and Senate, HCR2035 will bypass Governor Katie Hobbs and go straight to the voters for approval.
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AZFEC) said in a statement, “As we have seen in other states, governments left to their own devices will succumb to radical attempts to track, tax, or limit their citizens’ transportation miles.”
He added, “These environmental schemes have no place in a free and prosperous society. In this divided state government, it is critical for our Republican-led Legislature to proactively send this constitutional amendment to the voters to protect our state from these authoritarian policies. I’m thankful to the lawmakers who have supported this bill, and I look forward to seeing it pass the full House in the near future.”
The measure has been supported by AZFEC since at least March 2024 when the organization warned that “tracking, limiting and taxing our vehicle miles traveled is a dream scenario for those pushing a radical environmental agenda,” citing the Biden administration’s pilot program for a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax baked into the Inflation Reduction Act.
In a post to X, the AZFEC explained, “HCR 2035 is the first of its kind in the nation. As a constitutional amendment, it would prohibit the state, cities, towns, and counties from imposing a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax and limiting or monitoring vehicle miles traveled by an individual – whether they are using a gas-powered car or an electric vehicle. If approved by the Arizona House and Senate, the measure would then be transmitted to the Secretary of State to be included on the November 2026 General Election ballot to be considered by voters, bypassing the Governor’s Office.”
In January, the corresponding measure passed the Senate Government Committee as SCR1004 and is now pending a vote on the Senate floor as well. The bill was introduced by Arizona Senator Jake Hoffman.
The Arizona chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus offered its endorsement of SCR1004 alongside SB1092 which work in tandem.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 16, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has filed an official complaint with Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell requesting they take legal action on the almost 40,000 duplicate signatures that were uncovered during the legal challenges to Proposition 140, the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act.
Proposition 140, which would have imposed a mixed system of Ranked Choice Voting and jungle primaries for future elections in Arizona, was defeated in the November election with almost 60% of the vote share.
During the unsuccessful legal challenge against Prop 140’s fraudulent signature gathering in April Smith v. Fontes, a court-appointed Special Master found that, of the original 41,387 pairs of signatures challenged, a total of 37,657 or approximately 99%, were in fact duplicates. Removing these duplications would have driven the proposition 3,300 signatures short of the of the minimum qualification to appear on the Nov. 5th ballot.
The Special Master, Retired Arizona Superior Court Judge Christopher Skelly, found that “Plaintiffs had proved by clear and convincing evidence that 37,657 signatures were duplicates— that the same person had signed more than once.”
Indeed the evidence showed that 253 people signed the petitions five times or more and one individual signed no less than 15 times.
In a letter to Mayes and Mitchell, Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club wrote, “Double or even triple-signing the same initiative petition over the span of several months may well evince merely carelessness or forgetfulness. Signing one’s name five, ten, or even fifteen times, however, is not susceptible to that excuse.”
“There is certainly, at the very least, ample reason to believe that the individuals identified in Exhibit A knowingly violated Arizona law. I accordingly request that your respective offices open an investigation and pursue all appropriate criminal charges.”
You can read the complaint here. You can see the exhibit of duplicate signatures here.
In August, the AZFEC criticized the group behind Proposition 140, the “Make Elections Fair PAC,” with a strong condemnation that the group, which is sought to import “California-style elections to our state—got very creative in their signature gathering efforts. In fact, you could say that in many ways, they excelled in duplicating their work. And that’s exactly why Prop 140 should be invalidated.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
