by Corinne Murdock | Sep 30, 2021 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
A coalition of Arizona’s legislators are asking Governor Doug Ducey to press the Biden-Harris Administration harder about the ongoing border crisis. The legislators submitted a letter to Ducey on Tuesday, reminding him that President Joe Biden has neglected Arizona and the American people in terms of the border and refugee crises. In particular, the legislators asserted that Biden still hasn’t answered Ducey’s requests for resources to manage the swarm of illegal immigrants. They also lambasted the Biden-Harris Administration for using American taxpayers’ dollars to house, feed, and provide health care to illegal immigrants while ignoring Americans in need, such as homeless veterans, and while making greater demands of Americans, like mandating the COVID-19 vaccine.
What’s more, the legislators accused the Biden-Harris Administration of disregarding female military service members and Border Patrol agents who have been sexually assaulted and harassed by illegal immigrants. It is unclear what incidents the legislators were citing; AZ Free News was unable to locate public reports indicating that this has occurred.
The FBI and local law enforcement are investigating multiple cases across various bases in the country where Afghan refugees have assaulted or harassed women or young boys, either sexually or physically.
Last month, Judicial Watch discovered in records obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that dozens of unaccompanied migrant children were physically and/or sexually abused or assaulted from January to February while under the government’s care. The legislators also asserted that the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction on the border is indicative of a true intent to have an open border policy, though the administration has claimed otherwise.
Those that signed onto the letter were State Representatives Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu City), Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley), Walter Blackman (R-Snowflake), Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), Judy Burges (R-Prescott), Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley), John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction), Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa), Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix), David Cook (R-Globe), Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), Beverly Pingerelli (R-Peoria), Brenda Barton (R-Payson), Kevin Payne (R-Peoria), Frank Carroll (R-Sun City West), John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills), Shawnna Bolick (R-Glendale), Tim Dunn (R-Yuma), and State Senators Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), David Livingston (R-Peoria), Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye), Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix), and Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert).
As of press time, Ducey hasn’t issued a public response to the letter.
Read the entirety of the Republican legislators’ letter below:
The invasion of America’s southern border has become a national emergency. We are witnessing a surge like we have never experienced before. In April of this year, you took the lead and asked President Biden for resources to assist in the influx of illegal immigrants. To this day, the Biden-Harris administration continues to ignore the safety of our citizens and has allowed the nation’s border to be overrun.
The Biden-Harris open border policy is destroying our country. We expect the president and his administration to assist our homeless veterans and struggling citizens. Instead, he is using federal tax dollars to house, feed, and provide health care to thousands of illegal immigrants who have willfully violated our laws. This administration is demanding that all Americans must get vaccinated for COVID-19. Yet, they make no such demand upon the thousands coming into our country illegally. Moreover, we will not tolerate the Biden-Harris administration’s disregard of female military servicemembers and Border Patrol agents who endure sexual assault and harassment from illegal immigrants.
This willful invasion on our nation must end immediately. The duty to stop the illegal flow across our southern border rests solely on the federal government. The Biden-Harris administration’s resistance, and utter failure, to fulfil its responsibility is a disgrace.
If the Biden-Harris administration does not care about the well-being and safety of its citizens, then it is up to the State of Arizona to do what it can. We respectfully urge you to consider declaring a state of emergency, utilize the National Guard to assist as permitted to secure Arizona’s southern border, and immediately seek support from the Mexican government to assist the state in stopping this unprecedented surge.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by AZ Free News | Sep 18, 2021 | News
Less than a year and a half after the initial economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona has already recovered more than 100 percent of private sector jobs, representing one of the fastest jobs recoveries in the nation.
The Arizona seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 6.2% in August 2021 from 6.6% in July 2021. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 5.2% in August 2021 from 5.4% in July 2021.
Month over month, Arizona’s seasonally adjusted labor force increased by 6,169 individuals or 0.2%. Year over year, the labor force increased by 119,257 individuals or 3.4%. Month over month, Arizona total non-farm employment increased by 53,600 jobs or 1.8%. Year over year, total non-farm employment increased by 162,400 jobs or 5.8%.
“The last year and a half have challenged Arizonans like never before,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “But thanks to the ingenuity and perseverance of our hard-working employees and business community, Arizona’s recovery is in full swing, with a real momentum headed in the right direction. This isn’t the case for every state, and we will continue to work hard to make sure Arizonans have ample opportunity to reenter the workforce, access new skills, and get back to work.”
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Sep 15, 2021 | Opinion
By the Free Enterprise Club |
We should be doing everything we can to ensure election integrity moving forward. Too many Americans have lost faith and trust in our election system. And while the results of the last election are done, that doesn’t mean we can’t learn lessons from November 2020 and apply them going forward.
Someone should tell that to Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Last month, Hobbs released a draft of a new elections manual. This manual establishes the election procedures that are to be used by the counties in Arizona for accepting and tabulating votes.
If approved, the manual would go into effect next year…when Democrat Katie Hobbs will be running for governor.
Problems with the elections manual
While the Arizona Free Enterprise Club is currently conducting a thorough review of the manual to identify any issues and concerns, one major problem has already arisen. In her manual, Hobbs proposes counting votes for certain offices, like president or statewide offices including governor, even if the voter shows up and votes at the wrong precinct.
But a rule like this opens the door to extensive fraud. And it’s why the United States Supreme Court ruled against this sort of thing just a couple months ago.
Do you remember that? Apparently, Katie Hobbs forgot. Or maybe she just wants to protect her own interests.
In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the nation’s highest court ruled 6-3 in favor of Arizona’s ban on ballot harvesting and the state’s requirement that individuals vote in their assigned precinct for their votes to count…
>>> READ MORE >>>
by Terri Jo Neff | Sep 15, 2021 | News
By Terri Jo Neff |
Efforts by the Biden Administration to coerce Arizonans to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination or risk losing their jobs is “one of the greatest infringements upon individual liberties, principles of federalism, and separation of powers ever attempted by any administration in the history of our Republic,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
“Under our Constitution, the President is not a king who can exercise this sort of unbridled power unilaterally,” Brnovich argues in the lawsuit, adding that “even George III wouldn’t have dreamed that he could enact such sweeping policies by royal decree alone.”
Over the last few weeks, President Joe Biden has pushed for more Americans to be vaccinated, including tens of thousands of Arizonans who work for the federal government, private contractors doing business with the U.S., healthcare workers whose employers received Medicare or Medicare payments, and those working for companies with at least 100 employees.
Among those the mandate would apply to are nearly 300,000 employees of the federally-funded Head Start program. The lawsuit does not address Biden’s recent announcement that all military personnel, including reserves, must be vaccinated.
Employees who refuse to be vaccinated under various Presidential executive orders or OSHA rules will be forced to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, or face termination.
Brnovich’s lawsuit seeks ruling that Biden and the other federal defendants do not have authority to impose the vaccination mandate on U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. It also seeks a declaratory judgment finding such policies and mandates unconstitutional.
Another prong of Brnovich’s lawsuit takes aim at the fact U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and even lawfully present aliens face the prospect of much harsher public health mandates and punishment than hundreds of thousands of unauthorized aliens present in the country. As a result, Brnovich is asking for a court order enjoining the President and other federal officials from engaging in unconstitutional discrimination.
Brnovich’s lawsuit was not the only major COVID-19 vaccination development to occur Tuesday.
A federal judge in New York issued an emergency injunction on Tuesday against the State of New York’s requirement that all healthcare workers provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The order by U.S. District Judge David Hurd temporarily suspends a mandate put forth last month by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo which applied to all hospitals and congregate care facilities such as nursing homes.
Cuomo’s mandate did not protect employees who hold sincere religious beliefs against receiving the vaccine, and Gov. Kathy Hochul did not amend the mandate when she was recently sworn in.
The New York Department of Health is now prohibited from initiating “any action, disciplinary or otherwise” which would impact the licensure, certification, residency, admitting privileges, or other professional status or qualification of any healthcare worker who objected to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination due to a religious exemption.
Additional legal proceedings could lead to all or part of the New York mandate being permanently enjoined.
Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory to all immigrants who apply for a Green Card on or after Oct. 1 that they must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to ensure their application is not rejected.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services advisory pertains to all applicants seeking permanent residency, who must undergo an immigration medical examination to show the applicant is “free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds.”
Under the new policy, applicants will not be able to receive the immigration medical examination without first providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
by AZ Free News | Sep 15, 2021 | News
Phoenix, AZ – The initial maps for Arizona’s redistricting process were approved on September 14, 2021, by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The approved grid maps are of equal populations for the congressional and legislative districts as required by the state constitution.
Arizonans are encouraged to become involved with this next phase by utilizing the online mapping system and or by attending the public hearing sessions. Information can be found at irc.az.gov.
“We welcome the involvement and voices of all interested individuals and groups to become part of this critical process that will remain in place for the next ten years,” said Erika Neuberg, Chairwoman Independent Redistricting Commission. “With the approval of scheduled dates, times and locations, for the next round of public hearing, we will follow the State of Arizona’s COVID guidelines but also encourage those who choose not to participate in person to please go online and submit comments and maps.”
The following is the schedule of in-person public meeting sessions:
Tuesday, September 21 4:00 pm (MST) 5:00 pm (MDT)
Main location:
Red Mountain Multigenerational Center
7550E. Adobe St.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Satellite locations:
Yuma Civic Center
1440 W. Desert Hills Dr.
Yuma, AZ 85365
Navajo Nation Training Center (limit 25 participants onsite) Masks Required
Morgan Blvd. Bldg. #2740
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Thursday, September 23 12:00 pm ( MST)
Main location:
Scottsdale Center for the Arts
7380 E. 2nd St.,
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Satellite locations:
Radisson Hotel
777 N. Pinal Ave
Casa Grande, AZ 85122
Sierra Suites
391 E. Fry Blvd.
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Saturday, September 25 10:00 am (MST)
Main location:
Desert Willow Conference Center
4340 E. Cotton Center Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 850401
Satellite location:
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3700 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
Wednesday, September 29 4:00 pm (MST)
Main location:
Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center
33606 N. 60th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85266
Satellite location:
Tucson Convention Center
260 S. Church Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Thursday, October 7 4:00 pm (MST) 5:00 (MDT)
Main location:
The Vista Center for the Arts
15660 N. Parkview Pl.
Surprise, AZ 85374
Satellite locations:
High Country Conference Center
201 W. Butler Ave.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Cesar Chavez Cultural Center
1015 N. Main St.
San Luis, AZ 85349
Kayenta Township Town Hall (limit 25 participants onsite) Masks required
100 N. Highway 163
Kayenta, AZ 86033
Individuals attending the in-person sessions at the main and satellite locations will have the opportunity to speak and give public comments on the grid maps. They can also complete their mapping comments online before the public meetings.
The link for the adopted grid maps is: https://redistricting-irc-az.hub.arcgis.com/
There will be an opportunity to observe each meeting on live streaming and that information will be listed on the website: https://irc.az.gov/
