by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 12, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona Democrat lawmaker is working to undermine the efforts in her state and nation to enforce the rule of law when it comes to border security and immigration policy.
Last week, Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz announced that she had introduced the “Immigrant Trust Act.” The purpose of this bill, according to Ortiz, would be “to ensure Arizona’s immigrant communities feel comfortable seeking medical assistance, reporting crimes and completing their day-to-day activities without the fear of deportation.”
In a statement, Senator Ortiz said, “Over the last year, we have seen Republican elected officials at both the state and federal level work to make our country unwelcoming to immigrants. They have pushed racist rhetoric that has caused all immigrants – documented and undocumented – to live in fear. No one should fear that living their normal, every day life could lead to deportation.”
Ortiz added, “While the Arizona Legislature does not have authority to dictate policy at the federal level, we can ensure citizen safety right here at the State Capitol. That is why I have introduced the ‘Immigrant Trust Act’ (SB 1362), which will make the distinction between state, county and municipal law enforcement and federal immigration authorities very clear.”
SB 1362 has been introduced in the face of a drastic change in federal immigration policy, which took place immediately after President Donald J. Trump took the oath of office on January 20 at noon. Since then, the president has prioritized immigration enforcement and border security, which has outraged many on the left, who have sought to protect most of those illegally in the country.
The Democrat legislator’s lengthy statement concluded with the following charge to her colleagues: “Our community is fed up. It is past time to make Arizona a fair and welcoming state where everyone is able to participate in their communities without fear. Passing the ‘Immigrant Trust Act’ is the first step toward making that a reality.”
This bill has been assigned to the Senate Military Affairs and Border Security (MABS) Committee, which is chaired by Senator David Gowan. With Republicans in firm control of the chamber, it has little chance to pass out of the committee – if it is even heard at all.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 30, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Over 7,300 illegal aliens have been deported in President Donald Trump’s first week in office, per the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS published this latest dataset on Monday. Following Trump’s inauguration, DHS and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began posting daily updates with immigration enforcement totals.
DHS reported that among these 7,300 apprehensions were “hundreds of convicted criminals” for crimes such as sexual assault and rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault and battery, drugs and weapons offenses, domestic violence, suspected terrorism, firearms trafficking, kidnapping, vehicular manslaughter, driving while impaired, and possession of an illegal substance.
This latest update follows the Senate’s confirmation of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem last Saturday as Trump’s DHS secretary.
“Ensuring Americans’ safety and securing the border is President Trump’s and Secretary Noem’s top priority,” stated DHS.
DHS also reported that their novel implementation of deportation flights returned many of these detained illegal aliens to Mexico, Jordan, Brazil, and El Salvador.
In remarks made Monday during the House GOP’s annual Congressional Institute conference, Trump declared his administration’s use of military planes for deportations marked a historic approach to U.S. immigration enforcement.
“For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came — and made clear to every country they will be taking back their people,” said Trump.
Per data provided by ICE in their daily enforcement updates, as of Monday there were over 3,500 arrests and 2,650 detainers lodged since Trump took office.
Under Trump, immigration and law enforcement officials have also begun “enhanced targeted operations” on major hotspots for illegal aliens. On Sunday, ICE announced a partnership on such an operation with the FBI, ATF, DEA, CBP, and Marshals Service to enforce immigration law in Chicago, Illinois.
“For the record: targeted enforcement operations are planned arrests of known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety,” stated ICE.
Chicago considers itself a “sanctuary city.” Chicago and other cities which adopted this status are now under investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, per a letter sent to local leaders on Monday. Other sanctuary cities named in that letter were New York City, New York; Denver, Colorado; and Boston, Massachusetts.
Although Phoenix declined years ago to declare itself a sanctuary city officially, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego maintains a position similar to those maintained by sanctuary city leaders. Last November, in the weeks following Trump’s election, Gallego declared that no city resources would be used for mass deportation efforts.
“I can say without equivocation that as long as I’m mayor, Phoenix will not use its police department—or any city resources whatsoever—to assist in mass deportation efforts by the Trump Administration,” said Gallego in a statement to Arizona’s Family.
Phoenix Police Department policy set years ago requires sergeant approval prior to contacting ICE.
Reportedly, Phoenix city leaders plan to meet privately for legal advice on the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Department of Justice issued a three-page memo last week directing U.S. attorneys to investigate any state and local officials who refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands or requests,” read the memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
The Trump administration put in a workaround to these refusals by major cities on immigration enforcement. Several days after Trump’s inauguration, then-acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued an internal memo granting immigration enforcement authority to law enforcement agents throughout various agencies, as reported exclusively by The Wall Street Journal.
Days later, the Phoenix office of the DEA announced its partnership with the DOJ and DHS in carrying out illegal alien apprehensions. Like its federal peers, the Phoenix DEA has taken to posting about their work with greater frequency since their Sunday announcement of a federal partnership.
Like Phoenix city leadership, Tucson’s city leaders vowed in a press release to not participate in any federal immigration enforcement efforts.
In his first week in office, Trump’s administration also ended the CBP One app enabling illegal entry into the border, and repealed ex-Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ memo limiting ICE agents.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Monica Yelin | Jan 27, 2025 | Opinion
By Monica Yelin |
There seems to be significant misinformation surrounding immigration and deportation, and as a legal Colombian migrant, I feel the need to clarify a few things.
First, there is a massive backlog of individuals who already have deportation orders. In most cases, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not catch these individuals off guard. Most are well aware of their deportation orders and have had ample time to make arrangements, especially if they have children.
At the same time, it’s critical to acknowledge that our country cannot sustain an infinite number of people crossing the border illegally, unvetted, and unchecked. Simply crossing illegally, claiming credible fear, and applying for asylum does not make it right, especially when one did not arrive legally and does not have credible fear. Most individuals who apply for asylum do not qualify, and many fail to follow through with their legal appointments. This process, already overwhelmed by years of backlog, often results in denied claims, something the applicants are frequently aware of.
It’s frustrating to watch media outlets like CNN focus on “gotcha” questions directed at individuals like Tom Homan, instead of addressing the bigger picture with logic and reason. Deportations prioritize criminals and those with criminal backgrounds. If undocumented individuals happen to be caught alongside a criminal, they may also face deportation as collateral. Once the immediate threats to national security are addressed, the system will move on to others. However, this process will take time and require more funding and resources to scale effectively.
We need to set emotions aside and recognize the hard truths: human trafficking and exploitation must end. Migrants are often misled and lured by false promises of opportunities or legal status. Many die during their journey, are trafficked, go missing, or suffer horrendous abuses, including rape. When they arrive, they often become a financial burden and face years of uncertainty.
Given the current situation, and as a legal Colombian migrant, I believe I have the right to speak up. Beyond the logistical and legal issues, I find it deeply disrespectful, both to Americans and to legal immigrants like me, that the previous administration’s open-border policies disregarded the rule of law and encouraged such reckless disregard for human life. The treatment of migrants in this system has been appalling, and it’s heartbreaking to see leaders like Colombian President Gustavo Petro exploit the situation further.
Why are we spending so many resources on undocumented migrants while neglecting veterans, those struggling with addiction, the homeless, and natural-born Americans, naturalized citizens, and legal immigrants? What about DACA recipients, those who filed paperwork, and others who have been waiting for years for real solutions? At the same time, we are sending billions of dollars abroad while our own people are suffering here in America.
In addition, how do you explain all this to Angel Parents, those who have lost their children to crimes committed by undocumented migrants? Their pain and their losses are a stark reminder of the magnitude of this crisis.
I know the current issue with our immigration system is a complicated one, and I want to emphasize that we must have compassion for everyone equally, including undocumented migrants. However, I want to make perfectly clear that the previous administration did not care for you, me, legal immigrants, citizens, and certainly not the undocumented migrants. Many people filed their legalization cases here in America and others filed abroad waiting to be united with their families for years and years. Many refugees in camps and foreign countries are losing hope because it feels like it’s taking an eternity.
And what about those undocumented migrants who have been here for 20 years or more, who have not committed crimes, who pay taxes, own businesses, create jobs, and have U.S. citizen children who are productive members of society? They feel offended because the previous administration forgot them and did not offer a path to legalization but instead opened the border. One could argue that they should be helped before those crossing.
Lastly, I do not approve of illegal immigration in any way. But we must be realistic. They are already here. How about giving them a fine and creating some sort of path to permanent residency if they meet certain very strict criteria? By no means should we enable illegal immigration, but ignoring the realities of the situation is not a solution either.
Our immigration system must reflect fairness, logic, and compassion. This means addressing those who have committed crimes or pose a security threat, while also considering solutions for those who have demonstrated their commitment to contributing positively to this country. It’s a balance we must strive for—one that ensures the dignity of all while upholding the rule of law.
Monica Yelin is the Executive Director of the Hispanic Liberty Alliance.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 17, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Freshman Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari was the sole “no” vote among Arizona’s congressional members on a bill to deport illegal alien rapists and predators.
Ansari joined 145 of her Democratic colleagues in voting against the legislation. 61 Democrats voted for the bill, including Congressman Greg Stanton.
The bill by South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace (HR 30) would not only deport illegal aliens convicted of sex and domestic violence crimes, it would expand inadmissibility for immigrants who admitted or were convicted of stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, a sex offense, conspiracy to commit a sex offense, a violation of certain protective orders, or domestic violence.
In response to Democrat congressional members’ criticisms that her bill made unfair and sweeping generalizations of illegal aliens, Mace said she would gladly “demonize” those illegal immigrants who rape, murder, and molest American females.
“Under the border policies of Joe Biden and border czar Kamala Harris, our country has been ravaged by a horde of illegal aliens molesting American children, battering and bruising and beating up American women, and violently raping American women and girls,” said Mace. “My colleagues on the other side of this aisle like to minimize this issue because they refuse to acknowledge the consequences that their open borders agenda is here.”
Mace cited the latest ICE non-detained docket numbers (from July), which reported around 660,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. Those numbers include over 100,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with assault, over 20,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sexual assault or rape, over 12,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sex offeness, over 3,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with kidnapping, and nearly 15,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with murder.
The ICE non-detained docket refers to illegal immigrants that are physically present in the United States and not in ICE detention, though they may be detained elsewhere, such as a federal prison.
This past year, ICE’s non-detained docket reached 7.4 million per Fox News.
“That is who the left are defending this morning: rapists, murderers, and pedophiles,” said Mace.
Last week, Ansari also voted against HR 29, the “Laken Riley Act,” named for late Georgia student Laken Riley, murdered by an illegal immigrant last February while out for a morning jog on her university campus.
Ansari acknowledged that Riley’s death constituted “a horrific tragedy.” However, Ansari claimed HR 29 would encourage discrimination against illegal immigrants, especially “DREAMers”: those illegal immigrants brought into the U.S. as minors given an alternative legal status under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
“[T]he anti-immigrant bill being pushed by the House Republicans will do nothing to prevent this kind of violence or reform our broken immigration system,” stated Ansari. “Under this legislation, someone charged — just charged, not found guilty — could be immediately deported. This is a gross miscarriage of justice, and I voted no.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Dr. Thomas Patterson | Nov 22, 2024 | Opinion
By Dr. Thomas Patterson |
Democrats in the last election insisted that re-electing them was necessary to “protect our democracy.” But it turns out that for many of them, democracy only deserves protection when the democratic process produces their preferred result.
Prop. 314 was proposed to allow police to arrest immigrants who don’t cross the border at a legal point of entry and to deny public benefits to illegal immigrants. It was approved by over 60% of the voters. Sounds like democracy at work, right?
Not to Phoenix councilmember-elect Anna Hernandez, who vowed that the “Phoenix Council must move immediately to protect immigrant refugee residents in the city from the violence of 314… I am ready for this fight.” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, like many others, was also on board with the resistance, promising that neither the Phoenix Police Department nor “any city resources whatsoever” would be involved in enforcing this particular law. So much for respecting the democratic process.
Yet more Americans are beginning to realize our immigration policy sorely needs major corrections. In 1995, the Chairwoman of the Commission on Immigration Reform, Barbara Jordan, herself a civil rights icon, told Congress, “Deportation is crucial. Credibility in immigration policy can be summarized in one sentence: those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave…For the system to be credible, people have to be deported at the end of the process.”
She’s right. There is no way to fix Kamala’s “broken immigration system,” (her words) that doesn’t involve deportation to undo the damage done.
Here’s where we are. The low hanging fruit is the 1.3 million aliens who have been given their due process and are legally qualified for deportation. They are part of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “non-detain docket” of 7 million aliens, including criminals, who have not yet been processed but otherwise are eligible for deportation. Congress already has authorized ICE to deport all these individuals.
The obstacle is that their “recalcitrant” home countries refuse to provide the travel documents needed for the return of their own nationals. (Hmm. Wonder why.). The Supreme Court has ruled that all those, even the criminals, who are not deported within six months must be released.
However, under U.S. law, once the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has notified the State Department that a foreign country “denies or unreasonably delays” the return of its nationals, the Secretary of State must order consular officials to discontinue granting all visas to that country. That would surely get the attention of “recalcitrant” like China and India. Yet the Biden/Harris administration, ever loathe to stem the inflow of future Democrats, refused.
Despite the massive surge at the border following the 2021 inauguration, fewer than half as many aliens were removed by the Biden/Harris administration as during the previous four years. Instead, they alternated between laughably claiming the border was safely closed and that the only way to “fix” the problem was a comprehensive amnesty program combined with greater funding at the border but only to expedite the processing of immigrants.
There are other remedies that would mitigate the damage. The DHS secretary is allowed by law to require all aliens without a green card to be registered and fingerprinted. This would not only get a handle on the “gotaways” and criminals who have melted into the population. History suggests it would also trigger voluntary departures.
Finally, we could enforce the E-Verify program and compel employers to check on their workers’ immigration status. Many employers prefer cheap, compliant employees, but the long-term costs to our nation are too great. Absent the economic incentives, both public and private, few illegal immigrants would remain.
We are inviting many long-term economic and political problems by accommodating a cohort that will inevitably demand increased government support as they age. But more importantly, the Rule of Law is our legacy as Americans, the key to our freedom and prosperity. Ignoring the law at our border is a horrible mistake.
Border control and deportation don’t require more funds, more laws, or military action. It is a matter of simply enforcing the law for the protection of us all.
Dr. Thomas Patterson, former Chairman of the Goldwater Institute, is a retired emergency physician. He served as an Arizona State senator for 10 years in the 1990s, and as Majority Leader from 93-96. He is the author of Arizona’s original charter schools bill.
