by Matthew Holloway | Jan 14, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Republican Arizona Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-AZ-1), Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), and Eli Crane (R-AZ-05) have co-sponsored the first bill by freshman lawmaker, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX-26), the REMAIN in Mexico Act. If enacted, it would cement the first-term immigration policy championed by President-elect Donald Trump. They were joined by 77 other Republicans co-sponsoring the bill.
According to Gill, the “Remain in Mexico” policy, officially known as the migrant protection protocols, was first implemented by the Trump administration in January 2019. This set of policies allowed federal authorities to return non-Mexican asylum-seeking illegal immigrants to Mexico to await immigration proceedings.
The new bill will require the Secretary of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocol in accordance with 2019 Homeland Security documentation titled “Policy Guidance for Implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols.”
“President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy was extremely successful, resulting in fewer illegal border crossings, fewer fraudulent asylum claims, and more deportations,” Gill explained in a statement. “But immediately after taking power in 2021, Democrats undid nearly all of President Trump’s border protection policies, unleashing mass chaos and destruction throughout our heartland.
Over the past four years, the Biden administration has allowed over 10 million illegal aliens to invade our country, and critics say it prioritized criminal illegal aliens over law abiding American citizens.
As a result, says Gill, “illegal aliens are murdering, raping, and pillaging American citizens.”
“This must end now,” Gill said. “The American people gave President Trump and Republicans a mandate to secure our border, and Congress must pass the REMAIN in Mexico Act as a first step to secure our border and fix the problems Democrats created in our country.”
In a statement to AZ Free News, Rep. Crane commented, “This legislation is common sense. It codifies one of President Trump’s most successful policies, which was foolishly reversed under the open-borders Biden regime.”
“It’s outrageous that some of our leaders can’t be trusted to prioritize the security of American citizens, making this legislation necessary,” continued Crane. “I’m proud to cosponsor this bill that puts America first.”
In a subsequent interview with Newsmax, Gill wrote, “The REMAIN in Mexico Act is common sense legislation that would stop the deluge of illegal aliens pouring into our country. We now have over 80 Republican co-sponsors. I hope some of my colleagues from across the aisle will join us, but we can pass this bill with or without Democrat support.”
Fellow freshman Congressman Hamadeh shared the bill to X with a similar sentiment, “I’m proud to champion this vital bill to help keep our communities safe and codify the policy that made President Trump’s America much safer than Joe Biden’s.”
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 | Jan 13, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
With his oath of office once again taken, incumbent Republican Congressman Eli Crane (AZ-02) announced he will be returning to the House Committee on Homeland Security. He will join fellow SEAL Rep. John McGuire (R-VA-05) and Congressional Freshman Class President Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX-26) on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
“I came to Washington to drain the Swamp and fight to secure our border. In the 119th Congress, I’ll be a committee member of both Oversight and Homeland Security, playing a direct role in fulfilling both of those objectives,” said Crane. “It’s an immense honor to, once again, to serve and represent the People of Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. I will forcefully keep up the fight to put Arizonans and Americans FIRST.”
Crane’s subcommittee assignments have not been released as of this writing, however during his last term with the Homeland Security Committee he served on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, and the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.
Congruent with his assignment to the Homeland Security Committee, Crane released a statement the same day after the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which as the Congressman described, “would allow state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.” The bill, if signed into law, will also update federal law making it mandatory for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of illegal aliens who commit theft-related crimes, such as shoplifting, under state and local law.
“I’m pleased to report that the Laken Riley Act passed out of the House of Representatives. This bill will protect our communities and give our law enforcement agencies the resources they need to prevent avoidable tragedies,” said Rep. Eli Crane. “It’s appalling that 159 Democrats sided with criminal aliens by voting against this commonsense measure. Despite their senseless opposition, I’m glad we were once again able to get this bill across the finish line. I appreciate Rep. Mike Collins for his leadership, and I look forward to its swift passage in the U.S. Senate before heading to President Trump’s desk.”
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 | Jan 9, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Members of Arizona’s Republican delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives were key to a border-related bill passing their chamber.
In one of the first legislative actions of the 119th Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act, which was introduced by U.S. Congressman Mike Collins from Georgia. All members of Arizona’s Republican delegation voted in favor of the bill, as did one Democrat, U.S. Representative Greg Stanton.
According to its congressional summary, H.R. 29, if enacted would “require the Department of Homeland Security to detain certain non-U.S. nationals who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.”
One of Arizona’s Republicans who voted for the legislation, U.S. Congressman Eli Crane, said, “I’m pleased to report that the Laken Riley Act passed out of the House of Representatives. This bill will protect our communities and give our law enforcement agencies the resources they need to prevent avoidable tragedies. It’s appalling that 159 Democrats sided with criminal aliens by voting against this commonsense measure. Despite their senseless opposition, I’m glad we were once again able to get this bill across the finish line. I appreciate Rep. Mike Collins for his leadership, and I look forward to its swift passage in the U.S. Senate before heading to President Trump’s desk.”
Crane’s press release highlighted that this bill “directly addresses one of the federal policy failures related to Laken Riley’s murder. Her murderer, Jose Ibarra, is an illegal alien who had been previously cited for shoplifting by the Athens Policy Department. If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive.”
U.S. Congressman Abraham Hamadeh added, “While we cannot possibly remediate the pain caused at the hands of violent illegal immigrants, we must do all we are able to do to stop illegal immigrant crime before it begins and save future American lives. This should be a unanimous and non-partisan issue. I’m grateful for my colleagues who see this as such.”
U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani wrote, “Securing the southern border and protecting our citizens is a top priority in the 119th Congress! I voted for & cosponsor HR 29, the Laken Riley Act, to honor her memory and ensure bad actors here illegally are detained to prevent innocent lives from being lost to the crisis.”
The bill was named after a young woman at a Georgia nursing school who was horrifically and tragically murdered by an illegal immigrant in the United States. Late last year, the murderer was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. After the conclusion of the trial, President-elect Donald J. Trump said, “JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes. Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have. We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
The Laken Riley Act now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it will need all Republicans and at least seven Democrats to support its passage in order to send it to the president’s desk for his signature. U.S. Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, co-sponsored the measure, saying, “Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence. Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
Allyson and John Phillips, Riley’s mother and stepfather, spoke out in support of the bill as it proceeded through the congressional process. They said, “The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we’ve experienced. Laken would have been 23 on January 10th. There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill. Every single member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our country and communities safer. We thank Congressman Mike Collins, Senator Katie Britt, and Senator Ted Budd for continuing to work to honor Laken’s legacy and get this legislation enacted into law.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 4, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Democrats are targeting three incumbent congressional Republicans for defeat in the next election.
In December, House Majority PAC (HMP) released its list of initial seats around the country that it was looking to flip for the 2026 General Election. In that list, three Arizona congressional Republicans were included: David Schweikert, Eli Crane, and Juan Ciscomani.
The memo from HMP largely blamed the failure to recapture the U.S. House of Representatives on President Donald J. Trump’s greater-than-anticipated victory across the country, writing, “Unfortunately, Trump’s lead in the 2024 popular vote created incredibly tough headwinds for our candidates, and we faced a national environment that trended towards 6% more Republican than 2020. In spite of these challenges and clear disappointments, House Democrats significantly overperformed the top of the ticket and the political environment – all thanks to our quality candidates and your help.”
The HMP memo added that, “Headed into the midterms with lessons learned from 2024, HMP is today launching a 2026 Recruitment Fund – which will allow us to recruit and prepare potential candidates earlier than ever…We must ensure Democratic campaigns are set up for success – and that comes through conducting qualitative and quantitative research to develop specific messaging and strategies for individual races.”
Though Democrats poured many resources into attempts to flip seemingly vulnerable seats in Arizona, they came up short with Crane, Schweikert, and Ciscomani, who all held their own against the vaunted opposition. Schweikert and Ciscomani will always have to be wary of strong Democrat challenges to their incumbency due to the partisan makeup of their congressional districts. Both those members have proven extremely hardy to their political realities, focusing on commonsense solutions to problems and outstanding constituent services to help convince voters that they deserve another term in office.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 3, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona Congressman is cheering on a recent court decision involving the sale of border wall material by the outgoing presidential administration.
U.S. Representative Eli Crane marked a judicial opinion from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in The General Land Office of the State of Texas v. Biden. The case involves a challenge to the Biden administration’s efforts to sell unused border wall materials ahead of President-Elect Donald J. Trump taking office on January 20, 2025. The ruling from Judge Drew B. Tipton granted the plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction.
Crane responded to the legal outcome, writing, “Solid victory. Thanks to President Trump, our border will be secure again. Arizonans can’t wait.”
President-Elect Trump, who had desired the courts to weigh in against the Biden administration’s actions, said, “BREAKING: In a major, crucial WIN for America, and our National Security, a Federal Judge in Texas, based on papers we filed just a few days ago, has PROHIBITED the Biden Administration from selling any materials designated for the Border Wall, that has been wrecked by Biden and his cronies, and which I am going to rebuild in order to protect our Country from violent migrant crime, fentanyl smuggling, sex trafficking, terror attacks, and other heinous, Nation ending disasters.”
Trump added, “The Judge has also ordered an investigation into the illegal selling of the materials, which will expose just how corrupt and anti-American Radical Democrats are. I am honored to be joined in this vital case by the Great States of Texas and Missouri, and applaud Judge Drew Tipton for doing the right thing for our Country. We have to protect our Borders, and Save America. MAGA!”
“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda.”
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who has been eyeing a potential run for state Attorney General in 2026, noted the District Court opinion, saying, “Conservative AGs matter.”
The court ruling followed a shocking report by The Daily Wire, which revealed that “Biden is racing to auction off unused border wall materials weeks before Trump takes office.” These materials were left over from the first Trump administration, when President Biden halted construction on the wall spanning parts of the southern border in various border states as one of his earliest actions in the White House in early 2021.
Trump said at the time, “The (Biden) administration is trying to sell it for five cents on the dollar – knowing that we’re getting ready to put it up.” Trump added that “what they’re doing is really an act – it’s almost a criminal act.”
Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey responded to the news, saying, “Right here in AZ, Joe Biden is attempting a last-ditch effort to keep America’s borders open by selling off materials the Trump Admin will use to finish the wall. This decision from President Biden is reckless, will make Arizonans less safe, and should be reversed – immediately.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
