Megan Boyanton
Social Justice Reporter, Washington, D.C.Latest from Megan Boyanton
Arizona farmers like – but don’t love – ‘agricultural immigration’ bill
WASHINGTON - Arizona farm groups said a proposal to expand the immigrant workforce and make it easier for those workers to stay in the U.S. is an important first step toward solving the problem of getting and keeping reliable workers - but only a first step.
Vet still proud to have served his country – even after it deported him
WASHINGTON - Hector Barajas-Varela told a House panel he is proud to have served as a paratrooper in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division - even after the country deported him twice. And he is not alone: More than 44,000 noncitizens served between 2013 and 2018, and 250 vet faced deportation in that time.
For Syrians in Arizona, distant war affects life in their new homes
WASHINGTON - Arizona has taken in 1,291 Syrians since 2014, but for those refugees the war back home is never far away, whether they are worrying about loved ones or worrying about saying something here that can get family members there in trouble with one side or the other.
Impeach Trump? Not an option for his supporters at Capitol Hill rally
WASHINGTON - With chants like "Pelosi's got to go" and "Four more years," hundreds of protesters marched to the West Lawn of the Capitol to voice their support for President Donald Trump - and disdain for Congress.investigating his possible impeachment.
Advocates worry as ‘domestic violence green cards’ get greater scrutiny
WASHINGTON - Applications for "domestic violence green cards" have risen steadily since the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, but the percentage flagged as possibly fraudulent has risen even faster. But advocates say greater attention does not mean more problems.
Trump’s emergency wall funding declaration was ‘unlawful,’ court says
WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Texas Friday blocked an administration plan to use $3.6 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall construction, calling President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency to secure the funds "unlawful."
Court: Woman injured by leaking breast implant cannot sue manufacturer
An appeals court said federal law protects the manufacturer of a leaking silicone breast implant that injured a Gold Canyon woman, who tried to sue the company for damages from the implants she received after a cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy.
Volker resigns from McCain Institute, says impeachment testimony ‘becoming a distraction’
WASHINGTON - A day after he spent 10 hours before House committees that are pressing an impeachment inquiry of the president, Kurt Volker told staff Friday at the McCain Institute for International Leadership that he is still their executive director - but for how much longer remains unclear.
Arizona lawmaker brings personal story, gun-reform plea to Washington
WASHINGTON - State Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, didn't need to tell congressional lawmakers Thursday about the harm firearms can do: She showed them, when she rolled her wheelchair into a House hearing on the costs of gun violence.
Arizona official touts ‘holistic’ approach to combating trafficking
WASHINGTON - Human trafficking is a massive problem, which is why Arizona has adopted a "massive approach" to dealing with it, a state official told a gathering of government and business leaders in Washington on Tuesday.
Census says 55,000 Arizonans lost health insurance coverage last year
WASHINGTON - The number of Arizonans without health insurance rose by about 55,000 people last year, according to the Census Bureau, as a relatively strong economy was offset by hefty cost increases. The total number of uninsured Arizonans stood at 750,000, or 10.6% of Arizona's population.
McCain, McSally: State at forefront on human trafficking, more work remains
WASHINGTON - Officials at a forum on human trafficking said Arizona is "leading at the state level" on prevention, but warned that people need to remain vigilant to what one speaker called a trafficking "epidemic" in the state.
One act, two takes: Tucson mosque debates whether act was hate crime
WASHINGTON - When tenants of a student housing complex poured beer and tossed cans from a balcony onto children in the Islamic Center of Tucson's parking lot last month, some city officials saw a hate crime, but mosque representatives have been hesitant to call it that.
Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em: Flavored vape ban alarms Arizona retailers
WASHINGTON - Arizona vape-store owners were alarmed by the Trump administration's announcement Wednesday that it plans to begin enforcing rules that would drive flavored e-cigarettes out of the market, an industry official said.
State GOP looks to clear nomination path for Trump by canceling primary
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's road to renomination could get easier through Arizona, with the state Republican Party looking to join three other states and drop its presidential primary next year - a move used before by both Democrats and Republicans in the state.
Arizona to get $20 million of $1.8 billion fed fund to fight opioids
WASHINGTON - Arizona will get more than $20 million in State Opioid Response grant funds from the federal government, part of $1.8 billion in grants the Trump administration said it was releasing to states Wednesday.
Disability service providers feel overlooked in state-Flagstaff wage spat
WASHINGTON - As state and Flagstaff officials battle over who should bear the cost of the city's higher minimum wage on state contracts, service providers for people with disabilities say they feel caught in the crossfire.
