Migrant deaths climbed with temperatures in July; overall numbers still low

WASHINGTON - Migrant deaths in the Arizona desert spiked in July, when the remains of 42 undocumented individuals were found, the most for that month in more than a decade, advocates and medical officials said.


Border encounters spiked in July after two-month decline; Tucson hit hard

WASHINGTON - Migrant encounters at the southwest border surged in July, reversing two months of declining numbers. Encounters rose from 144,566 in June to 183,503 in July, with migrant families accounting for more than three-quarters of that increase.


Freeze on DACA approvals leaves thousands of Arizona migrants in limbo

WASHINGTON - An estimated 1.1 million undocumented individuals in the U.S. are eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protection – 44,000 in Arizona - but fewer than half actually have coverage, as new applications have been frozen by ongoing court challenges.


Haitian workers endure harsh living, working conditions in company settlement

Undocumented or stateless, after the Dominican Republic stripped their citizenship status, Haitian workers and those of Haitian descent find it difficult to leave harsh living and working conditions at Central Romana's sugar cane fields.


Haitian sugar cane workers in the Dominican Republic suffer amid U.S. embargo on Central Romana

LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic - Haitian and stateless sugar cane workers in the Dominican Republic continue to suffer worsening conditions of forced labor that has led to a U.S. embargo on sugar produced by Central Romana Corp.


Baseball academy helps young Dominicans chase big dreams

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Pimental academy is a baseball boarding school for young Dominican boys who dream of playing in the major leagues.


Border encounters fell sharply in June, to lowest level in two years

WASHINGTON – The number of migrant encounters at the Southwest border plummeted in June, falling to the lowest level in more than two years, according to new data from Customs and Border Protection.


Feds to pay for environmental repair, wildlife care, more at border wall

WASHINGTON - The federal government has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to repair environmental damages and reinstate Pentagon projects sidelined by construction of the border wall, and will take steps to protect wildlife in the region.


Advocates: Family reunification policy helps some migrants, but not enough

WASHINGTON - A new immigration policy that makes it easier for people from four Central and South American countries to join family in the U.S. will help, but is still "far from" the migration solution needed, advocates said.


Economic growth in Dominican Republic fueled by investment and migrant labor

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic is one of the fastest-growing countries in Latin America thanks to a boom in tourism and foreign investment. But it relies heavily on migrant labor from Haitians, who are often mistreated inside the Dominican Republic.

New construction abounds in the capital city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Here, a skyscraper is under construction on March 6, 2023. (Photo by TJ L’Heureux/Cronkite Borderlands Project)

Border encounters dipped in May, cooling fears of post-Title 42 ‘chaos’

WASHINGTON - The number of migrants apprehended at the southern border dipped in May, dampening fears that lifting the pandemic-era Title 42 expulsion rule that month would lead to a surge in individuals at the border.


Arizona’s defunct border wall leaves trail of runaway costs, error-filled invoices and questions about state’s oversight

PHOENIX – Records show Arizona’s defunct border wall cost twice the initial estimate and raise questions about the state’s oversight of the controversial, $194 million project.

The first containers were placed in Yuma County in August 2022. They were taken down four months later. (Photo by Alex Appel/Howard Center for Investigative Journalism)