Republicans press Tucson police chief on border in nomination hearing
WASHINGTON - Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus walked a fine line in a hearing Tuesday on his nomination to lead Customs and Border Protection, easily fielding questions from Democrats while telling GOP senators some of what they wanted to hear.
As marijuana profits fade, cartels increasingly smuggle fentanyl across the border
ARIVACA – Cartels are smuggling more and more deadly fentanyl across the border, leaving Arizona law officers, leaders and residents to deal with the repercussions. Nationwide, overdose deaths hit a record high in 2020 and are continuing to rise, driven by synthetic opioids – especially fentanyl.
Citizenship applications backlog leaves thousands with cases pending
WASHINGTON - More than 11,000 citizenship applications are pending in Arizona, some of the 907,424 cases pending across the U.S. this summer, more than twice the 2015 backlog. Federal offials blame the pandemic for the delays, but critics blame Trump-era agency cuts.
Nonessential border travel ban to be lifted after nearly 20 months
WASHINGTON - Fully vaccinated non-essential travelers will be allowed to cross the U.S. border from Mexico starting in November, ending nearly 20 months of pandemic restrictions that were choking businesses in border communities.
DHS to end workplace raids, turn focus on companies exploiting workers
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security said it will stop raiding workplaces to search for undocumented immigrants and will focus instead on "unscrupulous employers who exploit the vulnerability" of undocumented labor.
What’s in a name? Plenty for people honored in Hispanic Heritage Month
WASHINGTON - As Hispanic numbers and clout continue to grow in the U.S. and the state, so have the terms to describe people with roots in Spanish-speaking or Latin countries, with Latino, Hispanic and more becoming "a source of debate, and perhaps even friction sometimes."
Latino cartoonist’s ‘TOONDEMIC’ fights COVID misinformation
TEMPE – Political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz is the latest contributor to the COVID Latino project, which aims to disseminate information – and counter COVID-19 misinformation – through art.
Coalition targets illegal tobacco trade, with Arizona among top states in contraband
PHOENIX – The Arizona Chamber of Commerce is joining Philip Morris International in a partnership called United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade, which aims to stop illicit trade through public-private partnerships and policy changes.
U.S. border emergency spurs GOP governors’ plan on immigration
Arizona’s Doug Ducey joined nine other Republican governors to propose an action plan to the Biden administration to help ease the immigration crisis along the southern border.
COVID vaccine added to requirements for immigrants seeking permanent residency
PHOENIX – Immigrants seeking permanent residency now must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, along with polio, mumps, measles, hepatitis and other infectious diseases. But access to vaccines around the world, especially in Latin America, is uneven.
Border communities face another month of ‘nonessential’ travel limits
WASHINGTON - The ban on non-essential travel on land crossings between the U.S. and Mexico will be extended another month, a "disheartening" development for border towns and businesses that have already had to cope with the travel limitation for 18 months.
Supreme Court orders Biden to restore Trump ‘remain in Mexico’ policy
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said late Tuesday that the Biden administration has to continue enforcing the Trump administration's so-called "remain in Mexico" policy for asylum seekers - for now.
