by Staff Reporter | Feb 8, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
New polling reflects a continued high level of support for President Donald Trump’s mass deportations.
Earlier this week, the White House shared two sets of polling data that declare opinions of deportation remain positive.
Republicans, independents, and swing voters who responded all shared majority positive opinions on mass deportations in one poll from Cygnal: Republicans, 97%; independents, 59%; and swing voters, 64%. Only 25% of Democrat respondents expressed support for mass deportations, and 67% said they opposed.
This polling data came from just over 1,000 voters likely to vote in this year’s midterm general election.
A significant majority of all respondents also aligned when it came to interpretations of immigration law and enforcement.
73% of all respondents agreed that entering the country without permission constitutes breaking the law. 61% overall supported deportations for illegal aliens. 64% determined that illegal aliens were a very to somewhat severe problem: 33% of Democrats, 60% of independents, and 97% of Republicans.
A slimmer majority amounting to 58% of respondents rejected the Democrat-led proposal to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Less than that, 54% overall, supported ICE enforcing federal immigration laws.
The Democrats’ fight within Congress to defund ICE mustered a partial shutdown this week.
The shutdown arose beyond Democrats’ general disagreement with mass deportations. Democratic leaders oppose Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approaches to carrying out immigration enforcement. Two American activists in two separate incidents died last month after their protests against ICE turned into interference with law enforcement operations.
Both individuals, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot by ICE agents after refusing law enforcement orders.
Anti-ICE activists have also taken to protesting across Arizona. The Phoenix ICE office has been vandalized repeatedly, sometimes with death threats, and been subjected to protests that have devolved into rioting as activists resisted law enforcement orders.
This week’s partial shutdown was much shorter-lived than the longest one in America’s history that occurred last year, lasting over 40 days from October to November. President Donald Trump signed a spending package lifting the shutdown on Tuesday.
The second poll shared by the Trump administration came from Harvard University Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) and Harris. That polling reflected that 73% of Americans believe criminal illegal aliens should be deported. 2,000 registered voters served as respondents. Most of the voters said that price increases, inflation, and affordability along with immigration were their top two concerns.
Overall, the Harvard-Harris polling found that Trump’s approval rating on key issues (the economy, immigration, foreign affairs, administering the government, handling inflation, reducing the cost of government, returning America to its values, tariffs and trade policy, and fighting crime in America’s cities) ranged from 39% to 47%. The president’s highest rating level was 51% for response to anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis.
Overall, 38% of voters said the country was on the right track: 74% of Republicans, 15% of Democrats, and 24% of independent voters. Likely voters, not weighted in the median total, were at 43%. Congressional approval was worse: 32% overall.
35% of overall voters said their financial situation was improving, and 40% said it was declining.
Other polls have found dramatically different sentiments among the American people. Another three-day poll conducted by Ipsos determined that 62% of Americans believe current ICE enforcement activities go too far.
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by Staff Reporter | Jan 31, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Anti-ICE activists have been vandalizing the ICE Phoenix Field Office with death threats.
The office has become a site for weekly protests against federal law enforcement, frequently crossing over from protests to rioting as activists ignore orders from agents.
“Nuremberg 2 for ICE Nazis,” read one graffiti referencing the trials of Nazi war criminals. “Hang ‘em high.”
“Pigs enter here,” read another.
“Kristi Noem is a dog-killing b*tch,” read another.
At the beginning of this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported an 8,000 percent increase in death threats. DHS blamed “sanctuary politicians” for this jump in actual and threatened violence.
DHS also reported assaults on ICE agents had increased by over 1,300 percent and vehicular attacks increased by over 3,200 percent.
Last year, DHS tallied just under 300 assaults and 66 vehicular attacks.
The state’s chief law enforcement leader has been accused of worsening the tensions between federal law enforcement and progressive activists.
Attorney General Kris Mayes made the case for shooting ICE agents in a media interview last week. Mayes claimed Arizona’s “Stand Your Ground” law and ICE agents’ regular habit of wearing masks made it reasonable for an individual to shoot ICE agents.
“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster. Because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,” said Mayes. “[The] law says that if you reasonably believe your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property that you could defend yourself with lethal force.”
Mayes followed up her remarks with another video statement stating that she wasn’t advocating for Arizonans to shoot ICE agents, but did call ICE enforcements “increasingly chaotic and dangerous.” Mayes blamed federal law enforcement for the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Good and Pretti died while attempting to interfere with immigration enforcement actions.
“Arizonans do not want masked agents entering their homes without warrants,” said Mayes. “It is un-American and it threatens the rights and safety of everyone in our state.”
Days after Mayes made the case for the justified shooting of ICE agents, her police liaison resigned.
Governor Katie Hobbs criticized ICE enforcement as “indiscriminate roundups” of “contributing citizens in their communities.” Deported individuals aren’t citizens.
“It’s not making communities safer,” said Hobbs.
Rather than scale back federal enforcement, DHS has hardened its resolve to ramp up deportations. The Trump administration increased the financial incentive for self-deportations by over $1,000 last week.
Additionally, on Tuesday DHS rolled out a new website to feature the “worst of the worst” of criminal illegal immigrants apprehended by ICE. The searchable database enables users to narrow data based on country of origin and state. Many of those listed on the site were convicted of murder, child cruelty, assault, and battery.
As of this report, the website has over 650 illegal aliens listed that were arrested in Arizona. The website has over 20,200 illegal immigrants on the searchable database.
An enforcement action on Tuesday left one person in critical condition. The Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced that a federal officer was allegedly assaulted, and that the FBI is investigating the incident.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 30, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona House Republican Majority advanced five of six bills aimed at aligning state law with key provisions of the Trump administration’s signature legislation, H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, during a meeting of the House Health and Human Services Committee on Monday.
According to a pre-meeting press release from the Arizona House GOP Conference, the six-bill package focuses on Medicaid eligibility verification, reporting requirements, rural health workforce issues, and related health policy changes. GOP leaders said the measures are intended to mirror select federal reforms included in H.R. 1, including restoring accountability to Medicaid, strengthening rural health care access and workforce participation, and protecting taxpayer resources.
The following bills were identified by House GOP leadership as part of the package:
Medicaid-related measures:
- HB 2796 (Rep. Michael Carbone, R-LD25) — AHCCCS; enrollment verification; presumptive eligibility: Strengthens eligibility verification for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) by requiring cross-agency data matching to verify income, residency, deaths, and out-of-state activity. The bill limits reliance on self-reporting where not federally required and tightens presumptive eligibility primarily to children and pregnant women. Advanced 7–5.
- HB 2689 (Rep. Ralph Heap, R-LD10) — Hospitals; patient immigration status; reporting: Establishes reporting requirements related to hospital patient immigration status. Advanced 7–5.
Public assistance, health access, and workforce-related measures
- HB 2396 (Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-LD30) — SNAP; allowed purchases; waiver: Addresses Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) policy options, including purchase eligibility and waiver authority. Advanced as amended 7–5.
- HB 2190 (Rep. Julie Willoughby, R-LD13) — Physician Assistant Licensure Compact: Seeks to join Arizona in an interstate compact to facilitate licensure portability for physician assistants. Advanced 11–1.
- HB 2437 (Rep. Selina Bliss, R-LD1) — EMS reciprocity; compact: Would establish an interstate compact for emergency medical services credential reciprocity. Held.
- HB 2233 (Rep. Walt Blackman, R-LD7) — Arizona Rural Health Transformation Fund; reporting: Requires additional reporting related to the Arizona Rural Health Transformation Fund. Advanced as amended/strike everything 7–5.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed by the U.S. Congress under budget reconciliation and signed into federal law on July 4, 2025. It includes broad federal policy changes affecting tax policy, Medicaid funding, SNAP, border security, and other areas.
The House Health and Human Services Committee meeting was open to the public and available for viewing online via the Arizona Legislature’s official video player.
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 Staff Reporter | Jan 27, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Rep. Adelita Grijalva praised the invasion of a church service by anti-ICE protesters.
The protesters targeted the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a Sunday worship service after they learned one of the pastors, David Easterwood, was ICE’s acting field office director in Minnesota. Easterwood was not present for that service.
During the invasion of the church, Nekima Levy Armstrong claimed Christians couldn’t support immigration enforcement efforts. Armstrong’s activist group, Racial Justice Network, organized the protest.
“Someone who claims to worship God teaching people in this church about God is out there overseeing ICE agents,” said Armstrong.
Church leaders were witnessed on camera asking the protesters to leave, but the protesters refused.
Federal authorities arrested three of the activists for allegedly orchestrating the church invasion: Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly. Their charges alleged violations of the FACE Act.
The Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act of 1994 (FACE Act) criminalizes the intimidation or interference of those seeking to exercise their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem dubbed the invasion the “Church Riots.”
“Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States – there is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion,” said Noem.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Trump administration won’t tolerate disruptions of Christians’ freedom to worship.
“Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” said Bondi.
Grijalva defended the church invasion. She told CNN that ICE agents deserved to be harassed. Grijalva claimed illegal immigrants undergoing deportation proceedings were being “kidnapped” and implied they had a right to be in this country.
“[T]his federal agent now knows what it’s like to have his daily life and privacy interrupted. This is a daily occurrence for our immigrant communities – being followed and kidnapped outside of schools, churches, and hospitals,” said Grijalva. “The difference is this agent got to go home at the end of the day, where many families have no idea where their loved ones are when they’ve been kidnaped off the streets.”
Grijalva also claimed ICE had deported U.S. citizens as well as veterans.
ICE has deported minors born in the U.S. to illegal immigrant parents.
DHS advised that they allow the parents to either be removed with their children, or have their children placed with another individual: this choice is left up to the parents. DHS under Trump has consistently maintained that policy.
Deportations of veterans occur in cases where those noncitizens have committed certain crimes (per the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996) or failed to follow through with the required citizenship proceedings.
Grijalva also praised the high school students who played hooky to protest deportations, characterizing the present immigration enforcement as an “overreach.”
Last month, the congresswoman claimed she was shoved and pepper sprayed by ICE agents at a protest without provocation. DHS responded with an accusation that Grijalva joined an anti-ICE mob attempting to obstruct an immigration raid. DHS later stated that two law enforcement officers were “seriously injured” by the mob that Grijalva joined.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by TJ Shope | Jan 23, 2026 | Opinion
By T.J. Shope |
One of my grandfathers was a proud Arizona miner. Another was a hard-working grocery store operator in a small Arizona town. Although both of these men led vastly different lives, they both were united around one very important fact for the desert they called home and were cultivating for their children and grandchildren: water is integral to survival, progress, and prosperity.
Past generations of Arizonans have understood the importance of our water future—especially with a critical source in the historic and life-giving Colorado River. Each generation has successfully built blocks on each other of water conservation, security, and innovation, allowing future men, women, and children to grow up, work, and raise their families in an environment that could support the tremendous growth of this state over the last century. Yet, as we see all around us, the exponential Arizona growth continues. The small towns my grandfathers inhabited so many years ago are becoming larger by the day. Houses, businesses, and schools continue to be built. Thousands of people move to Arizona in search of a better future. All require water to fuel and sustain the efforts and migration.
In generations past, Arizona has risen to the challenge, made the right decisions, and paved a water future for our children and grandchildren. And yet we face a new fork in the road that will determine what kind of Arizona we will pass along to our descendants.
Decisions are being made right now about the Colorado River that will shape Arizona’s water security for decades. The current rules that govern how water is shared across the West are set to expire at the end of this year, but the states that rely on the water from this river have until February 14 to comprise an agreement on future management plans. The federal government has now released draft options that could define how the river is managed well into the future. I’m thankful for the Trump administration’s willingness to listen and work with the basin states—especially Arizona—throughout this process, yet this resource is too important to our future to leave it solely in the federal government’s hands.
As Chairman of the Arizona Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water, I’ve been deeply involved in these negotiations with local, state, Tribal, and federal partners, continuing my longtime efforts to enhance the Grand Canyon State’s water future and security. Arizona has already stepped up. We’ve conserved water, made real reductions, and passed commonsense laws to protect our long-term supply. Our farmers, cities, and businesses have done their part—and then some. The next agreement must be fair. Arizona families, farmers, and communities should not be asked to carry a heavier burden while other states avoid meaningful commitments. I’ve been clear about that in discussions with federal officials and other basin states. Cooperation remains the goal, but it has to be balanced and enforceable. The alternative is more uncertainty, more litigation, and higher costs for everyone. That’s a future I won’t leave behind for the next generation of Arizonans.
My grandfathers knew the importance of water to our state as they worked throughout their lives to build the foundation of our family and community. Their dedicated efforts are why I’ll continue fighting for a solution that protects the river, preserves Arizona agriculture, and secures a stable water future for our state. Future generations of Arizonans deserve nothing less from their public servants.
T.J. Shope is the Arizona Senate President Pro Tempore and represents Legislative District 16.
