Rep. Crane Shares Video Alleging Dems Deliberately Flooded Blue Districts With Illegal Immigrants

Rep. Crane Shares Video Alleging Dems Deliberately Flooded Blue Districts With Illegal Immigrants

By Matthew Holloway |

During Tuesday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Arizona Republican Congressman Eli Crane (CD-2) laid bare Democrats’ intent to use illegal immigration to increase “headcount” in their congressional districts to manipulate redistricting. As a part of his remarks, Crane played video footage of Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) outright confirming this practice.

During the committee hearing, Crane asked Lora Ries, Director, Border Security and Immigration Center for The Heritage Foundation, to “briefly explain what liberal states stand to gain from mass illegal immigration and unchecked parole.”

Ries answered, “Part of it is headcount.”

She explained, “They’re (illegal immigrants) counted in the census even though non-citizens can’t vote and are not supposed to vote. And then those numbers are used for redistricting in Congress and then in turn those same numbers are also used for the presidential electoral college votes.”

Crane followed up, “Would you agree ma’am that redistricting is a major political outcome for Democrats welcoming migrant caravans into their local communities?” To which Reis replied, “Yes, it gives them more headcount and therefore more districts.”

Rep. Crane then asked, “Would you agree illegal immigration for redistricting is not what the founders intended under Article 1, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution regarding congressional redistricting?” Reis agreed.

The congressman then played a twenty-second clip of New York Democrat and former Homeland Security Committee member, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who said, “I’m from Brooklyn, New York. We have a diaspora that can absorb (laughs) a significant number of these migrants and I… that, you know… When I hear colleagues talk about uh, you know, the doors of the inn being closed… um ‘no room in the inn.’ I’m saying you know I… I need more people in my district but just for redistricting purposes and those members could clearly fit here.”

Crane noted, “That was Rep. Yvette Clark, a Democrat from New York, from January 8th 2024. Her words outlined Biden’s failed plans for illegal immigration to gain political influence.”

Speaking to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the America Immigration Council and Democrats on the Committee, Crane concluded, “I find it interesting as I sit here and listen to you blame President Trump and attack President Trump, you know, for saying to the American people that he was going to protect the American people, he was going to put them first, and he was going to implement policies to fix the mess created by the Biden administration. And I just find it rich that you’re attacking President Trump for doing exactly what the American people wanted, not the individual who caused this problem. And sadly, if you guys don’t figure this issue out, you’re going to lose the next election as well.”

Sharing a video of the moment on X, Crane added in a post, “It’s actually really bad. Dems utilized the border crisis to pad their numbers ahead of redistricting. Listen for yourself:”

WATCH:

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.

Trump Begins Building Arizona’s Border Wall 

Trump Begins Building Arizona’s Border Wall 

By Staff Reporter |

The Trump administration announced its plans for continuing construction of Arizona’s border wall over the weekend.

The continuance of the border wall is the latest in a series of efforts underway by the Trump administration to undo the consequences of former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies. 

On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the agency’s intent to construct seven miles of border wall where none exists along the Arizona border. 

“As of today we’re starting seven new miles of construction,” said Noem. “We’re going to continue to make America safe again.”

Former President Joe Biden all but made good on his campaign promise to not build “another foot” of the border wall during his administration. 

The Biden administration sold the parts necessary to complete the border wall in secret. The Pentagon took the profits of the sales. 

In January, a federal court ruled against the Biden administration over its efforts to sell off as much of the border wall as possible prior to Trump taking office. 

Under Biden, there were over 8.8 million southwest border encounters. 

Around the time of Trump’s election last November, border encounters began to drop significantly. Encounters dropped 61 percent from November 2023 to last November, 68 percent from December 2023 to last December, and 65 percent from last January to this January. 

During Trump’s first month in office (last month), border encounters dropped significantly further, returning to the low five digits. 

Border encounters dropped by 93 percent from the February 2024 total, 92 percent from the February 2023 total, 93 percent from the February 2022 total, and 88 percent from the February 2021 total.

Last week, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the “CBP Home” mobile application. The free app allows individuals to “self-deport” by notifying the government of their intent to depart the country. It also enables individuals to check border wait times at legal ports of entry, apply for provisional I-94 entry, request an inspection of agriculture or biological products, and submit a travelers manifest for bus operators. 

On Monday, Trump issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to hasten deportations. The proclamation primarily addressed the foreign terrorist organizations Tren de Aragua, declaring the entity to be “undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare” against the nation. The proclamation allowed for the immediate apprehension, detention, and removal of terrorist organization members lacking citizenship, while also allowing Noem to apprehend and remove all other illegal immigrants as well. 

“As President of the United States and Commander in Chief, it is my solemn duty to protect the American people from the devastating effects of this invasion,” stated the proclamation. 

Trump defended his proclamation to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, doubling down on his characterization of Biden’s border crisis as an “invasion” necessitating wartime measures. 

“This is a time of war because Biden allowed millions of people, many of them criminals, many of them at the highest level. Other nations empty their jails into the United States,” he said. “It’s an invasion.”

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

Arizona Senate Passes Three Bills To Aid Federal Immigration Efforts And Improve Border Security

Arizona Senate Passes Three Bills To Aid Federal Immigration Efforts And Improve Border Security

By Jonathan Eberle |

On Monday, Arizona Senate Republicans made significant progress toward enhancing the state’s role in federal immigration efforts by passing three bills aimed at improving border security and protecting Arizona communities. The bills, all sponsored by Senator John Kavanagh (R-LD3), are designed to address the increasing strain on local detention facilities, provide critical support for law enforcement, and assist federal agencies in deporting criminal illegal aliens.

All three bills have passed the Arizona Senate and are now being sent to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

The first bill, SB 1294, Leasing Marana Prison to the U.S. Government, is designed to address overcrowding in detention centers and create more space for the federal government to house criminal illegal aliens. The bill mandates that the Arizona Department of Administration lease the Marana Prison—currently vacant—to the U.S. government for just $1 per year. The prison, located near the U.S.-Mexico border and several airports, would be an ideal location to detain criminal illegal aliens, according to Senator Kavanagh.

“This measure is a no-brainer. The federal government should have access to the empty Marana Prison to house these dangerous criminal illegal aliens so that Arizonans are protected from further threats,” Kavanagh said. “Detention centers are running at max capacity, and as a result, illegal aliens are being released back into communities.”

The bill also includes a provision that allows Arizona to terminate the lease if the state requires the prison for its own incarcerated individuals, ensuring flexibility in future use.

The second bill, SB 1299, Law Enforcement Personnel Grant Program, establishes a Law Enforcement Personnel Grant Program, which would provide $2 million from the state’s general fund to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). The program would reimburse local law enforcement agencies for the costs associated with immigration-related training. This measure aims to equip officers with the tools and knowledge necessary to handle immigration enforcement, improving public safety for Arizona residents.

“It’s our duty as lawmakers to support our law enforcement with resources to protect our citizens, and this bill does just that,” Kavanagh stated. “With additional training, we can ensure that our front-line officers are equipped for the job, protecting both themselves, and the people of this great state.”

The third bill, SB 1610, Requiring Detention Facilities to Share Inmate Information with ICE, mandates that county detention facilities provide personal identifying information and access to detainees upon request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This bill is designed to support federal deportation efforts by facilitating communication between local detention centers and ICE, enabling the federal agency to efficiently carry out removals of individuals with criminal records or immigration violations.

“Voters made it very clear in the last election – they are FED UP with the massive tsunami of people who have been entering this country illegally,” Kavanagh said. “With this bill, we are supporting the federal government’s deportation efforts by requiring detention facilities to supply inmate information to ICE.”

Senator Kavanagh emphasized the importance of standing in solidarity with the Trump administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and protect U.S. communities from individuals who have committed crimes.

Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Two Teens Arrested For Smuggling Three Illegal Immigrant Men In Cochise County

Two Teens Arrested For Smuggling Three Illegal Immigrant Men In Cochise County

By Matthew Holloway |

Two New Mexico teenagers were arrested near Palominas, Arizona, on charges that they transported three illegal immigrants on March 1st. The illegal immigrants were identified as Mexican nationals by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

CBP’s Tucson Sector announced that as agents patrolled a well-known smuggling route, they observed a person wearing camouflage and began to investigate. While investigating, the agents spotted a black Dodge Ram pickup truck and initiated a traffic stop to perform an immigration inspection on the vehicle.

According to the agents, they discovered the teenagers, a male and female both aged 17, in the front of the vehicle with three older men attempting to conceal their presence in the back seat of the truck. The three men were confirmed to be Mexican nationals who had entered the U.S. illegally, while both the driver and front-passenger were confirmed to be U.S. citizens.

The driver and his female passenger were placed under arrest and transported to the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station, and the agents seized the pickup truck. The driver is facing prosecution for human trafficking, a felony under 8 U.S.C 1324 and could face anywhere between one and ten years in prison. The female passenger is not facing charges at this time.

According to the press release from CBP, the three illegal immigrants have all been previously removed from the U.S. and are now facing the reinstatement of their prior removal orders and will serve as material witnesses in the prosecution of the driver.

In a post to X, Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector John R. Modlin wrote, “A U.S. Citizen juvenile was arrested near Palominas, AZ for smuggling 3 illegal aliens. The 17-year-old smuggler faces felony charges of 8 USC 1324 Transporting an Alien Who is Unlawfully Present in the US.”

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.

The Leftist Forces Financing Opposition To Trump’s Illegal Immigration Crackdown

The Leftist Forces Financing Opposition To Trump’s Illegal Immigration Crackdown

By Staff Reporter |

“CHINGA LA MIGRA!”

Major cities nationwide resounded with this chant in the weeks following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Pro-illegal immigration activists took over the streets with protests bordering on riots and engaged in coordination efforts to thwart deportations.

Younger grassroots activists, like those with the local Party For Socialism and Liberation or the MECHA chapters, bolstered their numbers with members of the most well-funded leftist activist operations in the state.

These activist operations are nonprofits financed, in large part, by the wealthiest leftist donors in the nation—especially those dealing in dark money by the millions. But it doesn’t stop there. They’re also financed by reputable U.S. corporations and their leaders—and even federal grants. These nonprofits have similar goals: opening the border, abolishing immigration enforcement, and granting citizenship to illegal immigrants.

These leftist activist nonprofits are consistent in their messaging, outlined succinctly in collaborative efforts such as the United Nations Human Rights Council Immigration Working Group of 2020 report. That report advocated for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the establishment of “Welcoming Centers” to process any who wish to come across the border in Yuma, Nogales, and in other states along the southern border.

The following are the powerhouse groups leading coordinated efforts in Arizona to undermine the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.

Aliento Education Fund (Aliento) — Phoenix. Reported revenue for 2023: over $1.7 million.

Aliento’s founder and current leader is Reyna Montoya, a DACA recipient. Montoya’s partner and the nonprofit’s vice president of education and external affairs, José Patiño, is a 2024-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader.

Aliento provides illegal aliens with a defense and preparation plan to counter immigration enforcement efforts as well as resources on evading ICE.

Should the Supreme Court take on and overrule the active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) case, recipients like their founder, Montoya, would be at risk for deportation. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled DACA to be unlawful for new applicants but allowed renewals to continue.

The pressure of these pending changes to immigration law spurred Aliento to mobilize its forces.

Earlier this month, the Aliento chapter at Arizona State University led a protest against the advocacy of another campus group, College Republicans United, to aid deportation efforts.

In a subsequent interview with Arizona PBS, Montoya defended illegal immigration as permissible so long as the illegal immigrants don’t get a criminal record while in the country. Montoya also claimed the media and the Trump administration were exaggerating the negative consequences of illegal immigration.

“I think that people are really afraid that people who have been paying taxes, folks who haven’t really gotten in any trouble with the law, they are now targeted to be deported,” said Montoya.

In response to those supportive of deportations, Montoya declared illegal aliens shouldn’t be held responsible for committing the crime of illegal immigration. 

“What would you do if you were in our shoes?” said Montoya. “That you only made one mistake in your life that pushed you from different circumstances, what would you have done?”

Among Aliento’s top donors over the past decade are the Tides Foundation ($675k), Pharos Foundation ($450k), Arizona Community Foundation ($355k), Satterberg Foundation ($350k), Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation ($300k), and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($222k).

Last year, Aliento also received a $75,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield to improve the mental health of illegal immigrants.

In 2022, Aliento received $250,000 from the GoDaddy founder’s charitable organization, the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.

The Arizona Center for Empowerment (ACE) — Phoenix. Reported revenue for 2023: nearly $7 million.

ACE is a Phoenix-based illegal alien advocacy nonprofit and a sister organization to Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA). ACE has regularly reimbursed LUCHA a little over a million in expenses for the past several years. ACE emerged as a response to SB1070 over a decade ago.

ACE’s founders are Alejandra Gomez and Abril Gallardo Cervera.

Gomez, the executive director, formerly served as deputy organizing director of United We Dream, an illegal immigration advocacy organization, and co-executive director of LUCHA.

Cervera is the chief of staff for LUCHA, which she also founded, and sits on the board of United We Dream Action. Cervera played a significant role in unseating former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as well as passing the Health Working Families Initiative to raise Arizona’s minimum wage.

Other key players in ACE’s short history include Democratic lawmaker Raquel Terán, who sat on ACE’s board and formerly served as its director. Now, Terán is the director of the newly-formed Proyecto Progreso — another entity resisting immigration enforcement.

In response to the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, ACE has issued advisories to illegal aliens on avoiding immigration enforcement detainment: instructing them to remain silent, obtain legal counsel, and refuse law enforcement entry into the home without a warrant. ACE is also providing free assistance to illegal aliens, such as the completion of DACA renewal paperwork.

ACE and LUCHA senior policy advisor, Lena Avalos, led recent efforts to oppose a new Republican-led bill in the Arizona legislature (SB1111) offering a $2,500 bounty for each illegal immigrant via an Arizona Deportations Fund.

“This bill is nothing more than Donald Trump’s 2025 agenda, and you are wasting taxpayer resources on hateful, racist legislation,” said Avalos during the Senate Government hearing on SB1111.

Among ACE’s top donors over the past decade were the Center for Popular Democracy ($1.7 million), the Voter Registration Project (for voter registration, over $3.5 million), and the Telescope Fund ($900,000).

Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund, also known as “Si Se Vota” (CPLCAF) is the advocacy arm of the similarly named nonprofit, Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC). Reported revenue for 2023: $4.4 million.

CPLCAF is resisting the Trump administration by tapping top elected officials and grabbing the ears of the state’s movers and shakers.

The week of Trump’s inauguration last month, CPLCAF’s executive director, Joseph Garcia, met with leaders at Arizona State University’s Hispanic Research Center to advocate against the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportation.

CPLCAF receives its funding from CPLC: over $10.4 million directly from CPLC the last two years. CPLC had a reported $200 million in revenue in 2023.

A significant portion of CPLC’s millions has come from federal government grants: the nonprofit was awarded nearly $72 million out of the approximately $500 million in obligations (about $297 million of these obligations incurred from 2020 onward, nearly 60 percent of total obligations incurred since the earliest available dataset provided in 2008). The majority of these grants came under the Biden administration:

    • In 2020, CPLC received a $101 million grant and a $68 million grant to carry out migrant head start programming, which doesn’t require proof of citizenship. $66 million and $53 million were outlayed, respectively; the performance period for the former doesn’t end until this August, and the latter grant ended last August.
    • In 2021, CPLC received a $4 million grant, again for head start programming. The total grant was awarded by the performance period’s end last year.
    • In 2022, CPLC received an $18 million grant to provide residential shelter and/or transitional foster care services for unaccompanied illegal immigrant children. Nearly $13 million has been outlayed; the performance period ends in June.
    • In 2023, CPLC received a $16 million grant to conduct home study and post-release services for unaccompanied illegal immigrant children. About $2 million of that grant has been outlayed; the performance period ends in September 2026.
    • In 2023, CPLC received a $12 million grant, again for head start programming. About $6 million of that grant has been outlayed; the performance period ends in December 2028.
    • In 2024, CPLC received a $21 million grant, again for migrant head start programming. About $7 million of that grant has been outlayed; the performance period ends in August 2029.

The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (Florence Project) — Tucson. Reported revenue for 2023: $17.8 million.

The Florence Project provides free legal and social services to detained illegal immigrants of all ages in Arizona. The founders were immigration attorneys Christopher Brelje and Charlene D’Cruz. It is the largest organization of its kind in the state. The nonprofit is engaged in two of 22 lawsuits filed so far against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The Trump administration’s Interior Department recently gave the Florence Project a stop work order on the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. The program issues government funding to non-governmental organizations to provide legal services to illegal alien minors. Days later following outcry and pushback, the administration rescinded that order.

Last month, the nonprofit sued the Trump administration over a day-one executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which dropped the court hearing requiring to expedite deportations, barred federal funding for sanctuary jurisdictions, limited parole authority to a case-by-case basis, limited Temporary Protected Status awards, paused pending the review and audit of all funds to non-governmental organizations involved with illegal aliens, prohibited public benefits to illegal aliens, and hired more immigration enforcement.

Earlier this month, the nonprofit sued the Trump administration over the proclamation shutting down asylum at the border.

In 2022, the Florence Project received $10 million from MacKenzie Scott — ex-wife to Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. Scott’s donation was the single-largest gift from a donor in the nonprofit’s 35-year history, enabling the organization to expand in an unprecedented way by providing a “representation-for-all legal services model.”

A close second in funding is the Lakeshore Foundation, which gave the nonprofit about $7.6 million within the last decade.

Another top donor is the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, which gave about $600,000 over the past decade. This nonprofit was founded for the purpose of serving Arizonans.

Among other top donors over the past decade were Together Rising ($487k), the Norman E. Alexander Family Foundation ($308k), and the Immigrant Justice Corps ($309k).

The Florence Project also received over $500,000 in independent contract payments from the Acacia Center for Justice in 2022 for legal services.

PODER in Action (Poder) and PODER Arizona (AZ Poder) — Phoenix. Reported revenues for 2023: $2.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

Poder was founded in 2013 as “Center for Neighborhood Leadership” by Ken Chapman and Joseph Larios. It was run by individuals from illegal immigrant families.

Chapman has spawned a number of activist efforts in his name. Alongside LUCHA’s Cervera, Chapman played a significant role in unseating former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Prior to Poder, Chapman was the executive director of the Maricopa County Democratic Party. Last year, Chapman sued the city of Phoenix for not producing records of elected officials’ communications with the Phoenix Police Department union.

Poder is the 501(c)(3) sister organization to its 501(c)(4), AZ Poder. Per the latest tax returns, the two organizations share identical leadership: executive director Viridiana (Viri) Hernandez and board members Nichole Cassidy (Chispa Arizona’s director of development; formerly: senior director of development for Women’s March, deputy director for Equality Arizona, director of development for Mijente, director of philanthropy for ACLU), Maher Osman (board member of CAIR Arizona, development coordinator for Instituto), Stephanie Cordel, and Zarinah Tavares.

Last November following Trump’s election, Hernandez, who came into the U.S. illegally, pushed the Phoenix City Council to refuse to assist deportations carried out by the Trump administration. Hernandez said the council needed to deprioritize immigration calls the way it has deprioritized abortion calls.

Since President Trump took office, AZ Poder organized protests at the Capitol against immigration enforcement efforts. They have also held workshops coaching illegal immigrants on ways to avoid immigration enforcement authorities.

Their top donors include the Alliance for Youth Organizing ($780k), Borealis Philanthropy ($700k), Marguerite Casey Foundation ($780k), and the Satterberg Foundation ($470k).

Puente Human Rights Movement, or Puente Arizona (Puente) – Phoenix. Reported revenue for 2023: nearly $900,000

Jovana Renteria (currently a director of the Maricopa County Bar Association’s division board) and Carlos Garcia (formerly the vice mayor of the city of Phoenix and co-founder of One Arizona) founded the nonprofit in 2007. Both left the organization in 2021.

Puente is helping illegal aliens evade immigration enforcement and other law enforcement officials assisting in deportation efforts.

Days into Trump taking office, Puente launched a hotline to warn illegal aliens of immigrant agent whereabouts and activity. The nonprofit sends out messages to illegal aliens so they may evade capture. Puente also arranged a network of scouts, “Migra Watch,” and the organization announced its plan to hold training sessions for those who sign up.

The nonprofit also scrubbed their website in preparation for their efforts to resist immigration enforcement. Their homepage currently reads, “We Are Cooking Something New.”

Puente’s executive director, Natally Cruz (Ireta), came to the U.S. illegally. In February, Cruz told NPR that she and the rest of Puente’s team are hands-on with the immigration authority hotline. Cruz has been leading workshops advising illegal immigrants on avoiding immigration authorities and taking advantage of constitutional rights.

“Instead of texting your comadre, or spreading the word, or putting a picture on social media, text it to us and we’ll make sure we’ll go out there and verify that information,” said Cruz.

Among Puente’s top donors over the past decade were Neo Philanthropy (over $1 million), the Arizona Community Foundation ($400k), Borealis Philanthropy ($300,000), and the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program ($300k).

Puente is the local hub of the national social justice organization also based in Phoenix: Mijente. Puente acts as a fiscal sponsor for the Mijene Support Committee, a digital and grassroots hub founded in 2015. Mijente has given at least $265,000 to Puente in reported pass-through grants in recent years.

Mijente is currently organizing groups for “deportation defense” to “organize against ICE raids” through its Community Defense Brigada, part of its Equipo Hormiguero program.

At the helm of Mijente are Marisa Franco, its co-founder, executive director, and president; Rafael Navar, its co-founder and treasurer; and Priscilla Gonzalez, secretary and campaign director. 

Navar also founded Division Del Norte, a California activist group, and formerly served as the California state director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, and several directorships for the major labor unions AFL-CIO and SEIU.

Last December, Mijente and 61 other organizations launched an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Biden administration to scale back ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), the immigration agency’s supervision program, to hinder the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

One of Mijente’s top donors is the Open Society Foundations (OSF or “Open Society Institute”), the nonprofit launched by leftist billionaire and dark money financier George Soros. OSF gave Mijente over $2.5 million from 2019 to 2022, along with $25,000 to Puente.

The Protests Will Go On

Mass protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deportation efforts may not die down but could take different shapes in the coming months. Activists shifted their focus recently to protesting the Arizona legislature’s bills complementing federal immigration policies like SB1164: the Arizona Immigration, Cooperation, and Enforcement Act (Arizona ICE Act). This bill proposes restrictions on local governmental resistance to federal immigration authorities by adopting or passing anything prohibiting or restricting cooperation. It also requires law enforcement agencies to comply with federal immigrant detainers.

The Senate’s committee hearing on SB1164 drew a similar crowd of protesters as those who appeared in preceding weeks protesting the Trump administration. LUCHA organized that protest; an organizer, Gina Mendez, said LUCHA plans to protest every Monday at the state capitol against immigration enforcement efforts.

“NO PEACE, NO JUSTICE,” chanted the activists at one of the latest protests. “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.”

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.