A bipartisan Second Amendment bill is making its way through the Arizona Legislature this session.
Earlier this week, HB 2617 cleared the Arizona House Committee on Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS). The proposal, which was sponsored by State Representative Alma Hernandez, would “lower thresholds for the juvenile restoration of firearm rights subsequent to a juvenile felony criminal conviction,” according to the overview provided by the Arizona House.
In a statement on the platform “X,” Hernandez said, “It was a super long day, but tonight, my bill, HB2617, passed out of committee! This bill will give youth the ability to destroy their juvenile record at 18 for most offenses; for other offenses, at the age of 25- it would allow youth who complete their court consequence proceedings to enter adulthood without the stigma of their past indiscretions.”
It was a super long day, but tonight, my bill, HB2617, passed out of committee! This bill will give youth the ability to destroy their juvenile record at 18 for most offenses; for other offenses, at the age of 25 -it would allow youth who complete their court consequence… pic.twitter.com/jXcq3QFiUl
Representative Hernandez, a Democrat, added, “Currently, courts are denying the request of many 18 y/o to destroy their juvenile records because they are not eligible to have their gun rights restored at 18. This language has been confusing for years. Big thanks to 2 of my friends and juvenile public defenders who came to support and testify! It’s time to fix it. Thanks to all who supported me!”
The Arizona House Democrats Caucus “X” account also noted the achievement, writing, “Congratulations to Rep. Alma Hernandez for HB 2617 passing the Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee this evening! On to the Floor soon.”
Congratulations to Rep. @almaforarizona for HB2617 passing the Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee this evening! On to the Floor 🔜 pic.twitter.com/m7XBhSQxzu
The bill passed out of the MAPS Committee with a 13-1 vote. One member voted “Present” on the legislation.
On the State Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Stand for Children, Arizona Veterans, Pima County, and Arizona LeadingAge registered their support for the bill, while a representative from Arizona National Organization for Women registered in opposition.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Another Border Patrol agent suffered injuries near Arizona’s southern border.
On Tuesday, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, John R. Modlin, announced that one of his agents had been injured while on duty. Chief Modlin wrote, “On February 13, 2024, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a vehicle being pursued by the Tohono O’odham Police Department struck a Border Patrol agent at the SR86 Immigration Checkpoint near Three Points, Arizona. Three Points Emergency Medical Services responded and determined the agent sustained non-life-threatening injuries; but airlifted the agent to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona for treatment.”
Modlin added that the “Federal Bureau of Investigation and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating.”
The incident in the Tucson Border Sector follows a number of recent episodes where federal or local law enforcement agents have been injured at their southern Arizona posts. In October 2023, Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin of CBP’s Yuma Sector announced that “a vehicle hit the checkpoint located on I-8 east of Yuma, critically injuring two of our agents. They are being treated for their injuries at a Phoenix-area hospital.”
Yuma Sector would like to thank our community for the thoughts and prayers for our injured agents. On Saturday, a vehicle hit the checkpoint located on I-8 east of Yuma, critically injuring two of our agents. They are being treated for their injuries at a Phoenix-area hospital. pic.twitter.com/v6qh7UQO69
— Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin (@USBPChiefYUM) October 24, 2023
Last fall, a Cochise County Deputy Sheriff was seriously injured as he attempted to stop a suspected smuggler, who was trying to evade apprehension in her vehicle. When talking to local media about the rash of similar incidents plaguing his county and department, Sheriff Mark Dannels said, “Just this week alone, I’ve had a patrol car damaged, I’ve had two officers, deputies that were trying to be run over by smuggler drivers. This is every day down here.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The woman who gained international notoriety nearly a decade ago for faking her race, Rachel Dolezal (now Nkechi Amare Diallo), was fired from her job teaching elementary school children in Tucson shortly after news broke of her publicly advertising her porn on OnlyFans.
Diallo worked as an after-school educator in the Community Schools program within the Catalina Foothills School District. The district hired her for $19 an hour. She ran a gardening club for those students.
On Tuesday, Libs of TikTok posted one of Diallo’s provactive images on X (formerly Twitter) along side some of her racy posts. (Warning: You can view the post here, but it is not safe for work or if you’re around children.
Diallo launched her OnlyFans in 2021, initially as a lifestyle page dedicated mainly to workouts based on initial media coverage and her own social media posts on the subject. About a year later in 2022, Diallo began to transition the page into its current state of straight-porn content with risque postings of her wearing lingerie — a move that was widely reported on and trending on social media.
Diallo charged about $10 a month for access to her porn. The OnlyFans account was included in her LinkTree on both her public Facebook and Instagram pages.
According to social media posts, Diallo moved to Arizona around July 2020 after her son was admitted to the University of Arizona. Last March, Diallo attended Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signing of a ban on hair discrimination, legislation modeled after a California law prohibiting discrimination against employees’ hair texture and establishing protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, knots, and headwraps. In a comparison of the photos posted by Diallo and the governor’s office of the event, it appears that Diallo was cropped out.
Diallo’s racial deceit was discovered in 2015, after a Spokane, Washington news outlet questioned her about her parents and her race during an interview about racial justice and racially motivated hate crimes. At the time, Diallo was the NAACP Spokane president and an Africana studies lecturer at Eastern Washington University.
The interaction between Diallo and the reporter went viral. Shortly after Diallo was outed for faking her race, she stepped down as the local NAACP chapter president and embarked on a media tour explaining that she was “transracial.”
Despite all the controversy that arose over her “transracial” identity, Diallo managed in the subsequent years to maintain a sizable following that yielded speaking engagements, artwork sales, a memoir, and a Netflix documentary.
In 2018, the year her Netflix documentary came out, Diallo was charged with welfare fraud for taking over $8,000 in relief by hiding her memoir income. The following year, Diallo agreed to a plea deal to repay the thousands and complete community service.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A controversial border proposal is making its way through the Arizona Legislature.
On Monday, the Arizona House Military and Public Safety Committee (MAPS) gave a green light to HB 2748, which “establishes penalties and enforcement against illegal border crossings,” according to the overview provided by the State House of Representatives. The proposal, which mirrors recent legislation out of Texas, has garnered the support of every Republican in the chamber, ensuring its likely passage out of the House – and possibly the Senate.
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ House Republicans Unite to Protect State of Arizona from President Biden’s Historic Open Border Crisis
Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik, the sponsor of the bill, said, “Under the Biden administration, the consistent refusal to enforce our nation’s federal immigration laws has led to an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration across our southern border, constituting a historic invasion. Despite the legislature’s repeated calls for action, President Biden and Congress has failed to address this crisis. This dereliction of duty has allowed open-border policies to prevail, undermining the rule of law.”
According to the press release from the Arizona House of Representatives Republican Caucus, HB 2748 would do the following:
Establish a class 1 misdemeanor (or a class 6 felony for subsequent offenses) for individuals entering Arizona from a foreign country as aliens, except through legal ports of entry.
Impose a class 1 misdemeanor for aliens re-entering the U.S. through Arizona if they were previously deported, excluded, or left while a deportation or exclusion order was pending.
Elevate the offense to a class 3 felony if the alien was removed due to multiple drug misdemeanors, federal inadmissibility, terrorism involvement, or removal following a nonviolent crime.
Elevate the offense to a class 2 felony if the alien was removed after committing a felony.
Provide for an order of return for aliens violating the law, with failure to comply constituting a class 2 felony.
Grant immunity from civil liability for local and state government officials, employees, and contractors enforcing the law, with indemnification for civil actions under federal law.
Mandate the Arizona Attorney General to pursue all available remedies to recover federal reimbursements for state costs incurred due to illegal immigration.”
When HB 2748 passed the MAPS Committee, all eight Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and all seven Democrats voted against. Democrat State Representative Marcelino Quiñonez attacked the legislation, saying, “We know this bill is unconstitutional, but we are going through this exercise for talking points.”
HB2747 is on its way to a veto.
State laws cannot trump federal immigration laws.
We have a serious issue at the border & need real policy solutions not unconstitutional bills to pass committee. https://t.co/QcyK3GKZ8O
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative for Heritage Action for America signed in support of HB 2748; while representatives from the American Civil Liberties of Arizona, CHISPA Arizona, Living United for Change in Arizona, AZ National Organization for Women, and State Conference NAACP noted their opposition to the legislation.
Though Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has ramped up her rhetoric against the border crisis in recent months, she is almost certain to veto HB 2748 should it clear both legislative chambers and reach her desk on the Ninth Floor of the Arizona Executive Tower. Hobbs and Republican lawmakers have been unable to come to any accord on border security proposals since the state entered a time of divided government in January 2023.
Despite this bill having no chance of becoming law in 2024 – or over the next two years, Representative Chaplik is pressing ahead with his efforts due to the dire state of the crisis at the border. Chaplik said, “The consequences are dire: an uncontrolled border presents both security and humanitarian crises. The surge in violence, coupled with the rampant smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons, and human beings, poses an imminent threat to our communities, our state, and the safety of innocent Americans. It is imperative that we act swiftly to secure our borders and restore order, safeguarding the integrity of our nation and protecting our citizens. Just as the State of Texas is defending itself, this bill will allow the State of Arizona to defend itself at the border.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Late last month, the Arizona State House Judiciary Committee approved, HB 2435, which was sponsored by Speaker Ben Toma. The bill would “require a person who is convicted of a third or subsequent organized retail theft offense to be sentenced as a category two repetitive offender in certain circumstances,” according to the overview provided by the chamber.
HB 2435 passed the committee along partisan voting lines – 6-3, with all Republicans voting to affirm the legislation.
Before the committee’s vote, Toma hosted a press conference outside of the state capitol with Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, who announced her strong endorsement of the legislation. Mitchell took to the platform “X” to share an update from the event, writing, “Thank you, Rep. Ben Toma, for your help in combatting Organized Retail Crime. If you plan to commit this crime, plan to stay. In Maricopa County, we will prosecute retail theft!”
Thank you, @RepBenToma, for your help in combatting Organized Retail Crime. If you plan to commit this crime, plan to stay.
— Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (@Rachel1Mitchell) January 31, 2024
Toma added, “California may tolerate lawlessness, but my bill, HB 2435, will tell criminals that they’ll pay a heavy price for stealing. A big shout out to Rachel Mitchell and AZ Retailers for working with me on this important legislation!”
California may tolerate lawlessness, but my bill, HB2435, will tell criminals that they’ll pay a heavy price for stealing.
In the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Quiktrip, AZ Retailers Association, Combined Law Enforcement Association of Arizona, AZ Food Marketing Alliance, AZ Association of Counties, and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce registered their support for the bill. Representatives from the AZ National Organization for Women, State Conference NAACP, Rural Arizona Action, ACLU of Arizona, and AZ Attorneys for Criminal Justice signed in to oppose the proposal.
The efforts to augment penalties for these organized retail theft crimes continue the state’s already strong reputation on this front. Arizona has an Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which commenced under former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s administration and is housed in the State Attorney General’s Office.
In December 2021, Brnovich wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, warning would-be criminals of his office’s efforts to investigate and prosecute these offenses – especially in the wake of the lawlessness in Arizona’s neighboring state to the west. He wrote, “As Arizona’s attorney general, I have refused to capitulate to the lawless mob…We expect our efforts will deter such theft and hope our task force becomes a model for California and other states.”
Current Attorney General Kris Mayes has continued to combat these crimes, including over the just-completed Christmas holiday. In December, her office announced that it had “seized thousands of cloned gift cards and other merchandise in partnership with the Arizona Retailers Association and with the help of law enforcement partners.” Mayes’ coalition also arrested eight people “as part of an alleged scheme to defraud retailers and consumers.” The first-term attorney general said, “The successful seizure of thousands of cloned cards and the arrest of several individuals reflects my office’s unwavering dedication to stopping organized retail theft across Arizona.”
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also has a strong presence against organized retail theft. In 2023, her office announced that it had made 354 bookings over these crimes, which was the most in the county since 2020. Additionally, in November 2023, Mitchell started a ‘Safe Shopping’ Campaign “to stop this fast-growing category of lawlessness.” Mitchell said, “Here’s what I say to the thieves who commit these crimes: we will find you, you will be arrested, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office gives three tips to Arizonans to help them experience ‘safe shopping.’ Those include:
Be patient with retailers. While it might take an extra minute to get an item (decongestants, for example) from behind a locked display, it’s worth it. Know you’re doing your part to keep prices low and keep crooks at bay.
Never engage with thieves. If you’re suspicious, reach out to a store manager. Never confront a thief on your own.
Keep your personal items locked up. If you carry a handbag, keep it closed and close to you. If you leave purchases in your car between shopping stops, make sure that vehicle is locked up tight.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached under an effort initiated and led in part by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05).
The resolution to impeach Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors passed 214-213, with three Republicans voting against it: Ken Buck (CO), Mike Gallagher (WI), and Tom McClintock (CA). Biggs has been proposing legislation to impeach Mayorkas since 2021.
In remarks preceding the impeachment vote, Biggs said the Founding Fathers were supportive of impeachment as a means of addressing serious offenses to the nation.
“It’s hard for me to conceive of any bigger offense against the nation than opening up the border and actually willingly and intentionally inviting in 10 million-plus illegal aliens to cross into the country,” said Biggs. “Secretary Mayorkas opened up our border and encouraged people to come in.”
Biggs cited Mayorkas’ inability to confirm during his sworn testimony that the border was operationally under control as defined by the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Mayorkas implied that the standard was impossible to meet, and that DHS had created its own standard to meet.
“That is a violation of separation of powers, and it is also a violation of his oath of office and duties,” said Biggs.
Additionally, Biggs cited DHS implementing a catch and release policy by abusing the policy allowing parole passes for certain immigrants on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian purposes. Those passes granted temporary legal status to the migrants that received them. Over the course of several decades, only an average of several dozen migrants annually received parole passes. Under Mayorkas, over a million have been issued to illegal immigrants over the last three years.
The congressman also cited Mayorkas testimony that his administration wasn’t deporting illegal immigrants even if they had removal orders from a court.
Biggs said it was imperative to impeach Mayorkas to prevent the unrelenting, ever-worsening tide of illegal immigrants constituting the border crisis.
“It isn’t a matter of a policy difference; it isn’t a matter of incompetence or maladministration. This is somebody who is a public official who has breached the public trust, and if we keep him in office for another 12 months, we shall surely see several million more people in this country,” said Biggs.
The impeachment resolution now heads to the Senate.
Tuesday’s vote was the second attempt against Mayorkas. House Republicans failed to gain enough votes to pass the impeachment resolution last week.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) said that the impeachment was warranted and claimed the border crisis was a deliberate effort by Mayorkas.
“The crisis at the border was deliberate, which more than warrants this historic action,” said Crane.
The crisis at the border was deliberate, which more than warrants this historic action. https://t.co/labBRJir0r
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) condemned the impeachment as “baseless” and that there was “no evidence” of wrongdoing by Mayorkas. Grijalva claimed that the border crisis was now Republicans’ fault, not the Biden administration.
“[H]e has lawfully carried out the policies of President Biden and still requires significant help from Congress to manage the issues we face at the border,” said Grijalva. “[House GOP] now bear full responsibility for the situation at our southern border.”
Instead of passing real immigration reform to fix our broken system or giving the necessary resources for Secretary Mayorkas and border communities to manage the humanitarian crisis, the House Republican majority moved forward with a baseless impeachment resolution. https://t.co/nppoLt51h2
