Death row sentence overturned after lawyers ‘dropped the ball’ in case
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court overturned an Arizona death row inmate's conviction for the 1994 sexual assault and murder of a 4-year-old Tucson girl, saying attorneys in his case "dropped the ball" by failing to challenge the state's evidence.
DHS to send migrants from Tucson to El Paso, to be sent back to Mexico
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security said it will bus asylum seekers from Tucson to El Paso, Texas, where they will be sent back to Mexico to await a decision on their claims under the Trump administration's Migration Protection Protocols.
Lawmakers spar over Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ rule for asylum seekers
WASHINGTON - House members sparred Tuesday over the Trump administration's so-called "Remain in Mexico" policy for asylum-seekers, with Democrats calling it unsafe and "abhorrent" and Republicans saying it has helped reduce a massive backlog in immigration courts.
Justices concede likely impact of DACA ruling, still question program
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court grappled with the push to end the DACA program, with some justices suggesting that the Trump administration's justification did not take into account its full impact and others agreeing that the government had provided more than enough reasons for its decision.
Border-state voters poll shows dim view of border policy, Border Patrol
WASHINGTON - Just over half of voters in southern border states disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling border and immigration issues, and no more than 40% of those polled had a "great deal/a lot" of trust in the way Border Patrol officials are doing their jobs.
Lawyers leery of ICE’s move to schedule court dates for DACA recipients
WASHINGTON - Lawyers in Arizona and southern Nevada are alarmed after receiving notices that Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to set new court dates for their clients who are currently protected from deportation by DACA.
Democrats roast CIS head over plan to end ‘medical deferred action’
WASHINGTON - The acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services insisted to a House panel that there are no new plans to end "medical deferred action," but Democrats called the administration "cruel" for considering the notion in the first place.
Justice Department pressing ahead with plan to collect immigrants’ DNA
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is moving forward with plans to collect DNA samples from immigration detainees, including those without criminal offenses, raising alarms among both privacy and immigration advocates.
Breaking the silence: Native Americans overcome taboos in battle against suicide
WHITERIVER – Native Americans have the highest suicide rates in the U.S., and youth are especially affected. Both on reservations and in cities, efforts are underway to build resilience and break the taboo of talking about mental health.
CBP: Close to 1 million apprehended at southern border in fiscal 2019
WASHINGTON - Border officers apprehended nearly 1 million migrants at the southern border in fiscal 2019, an 88 percent increase over the previous year, according to Customs and Border Protection numbers released Tuesday.
Supreme Court will not hear Maricopa County appeal of Arpaio ruling
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday let stand lower court rulings that said Maricopa County is responsible for controversial policing practices of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Volker steps down from State Department role, stays at McCain Institute
WASHINGTON - Kurt Volker is still serving as executive director of the McCain Institute, after resigning as U.S. special envoy for Ukraine when his name surfaced last week in a whistleblower's report on President Donald Trump's dealings with that country.
