Plunge in border crossings could blunt GOP attack on Biden
A sharp drop in illegal border crossings since December could blunt a Republican point of attack against President Joe Biden as the Democratic leader moves to reshape a broken asylum system that has dogged him and his predecessors.
Judge OK’s Arizona rancher trial in Mexican migrant killing
An Arizona rancher accused of shooting at a group of migrants on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one man, will face trial on charges including second-degree murder and aggravated assault, a judge ruled.
Arizona rancher faces lesser murder charge in migrant death
An Arizona rancher accused of killing a Mexican man on his land near the U.S.-Mexico border while allegedly firing at a group of unarmed migrants is now facing a lesser murder charge. The attorney for George Alan Kelly entered a not guilty plea to second-degree murder Friday in Santa Cruz County Justice Court in Nogales, Ariz..
Fight against fentanyl continues as drug seizures rise
The Arizona border has become the nexus point for the trafficking of fentanyl into the country. Approximately 22 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills were seized in Arizona in 2022, according to Jodie Underwood, spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Administration Phoenix Field Division. This accounts for more than 43% of the 50.6 million pills seized nationwide.
Prosecutor: Arizona border rancher shot unarmed men, 1 died
The prosecutor in the first-degree murder case against an Arizona rancher accused of killing a Mexican man on his land last month alleged during a court hearing Wednesday that the rancher opened fire that day on a group of about eight unarmed people outside his home.
Arizona rancher denies killing Mexican shot dead by border
The lawyer for an Arizona rancher being held on $1 million bond says her client did not shoot and kill the Mexican man whose body was found on his property last month near the U.S.-Mexico border, but earlier that day fired warning shots at smugglers carrying AK-47 rifles and big backpacks on his land.
Supreme Court might have easy outs on elections, immigration
The Supreme Court soon could find itself with easy ways out of two high-profile cases involving immigration and elections, hot topics in Arizona and around the country, if indeed the justices are looking to avoid potentially messy, divisive decisions.
Arizona lawmakers agree to disagree on Biden’s border, fentanyl plans
Arizona lawmakers agreed with President Joe Biden’s call in his State of the Union address Tuesday to secure American borders and fight fentanyl trafficking, but they disagreed on how to get there.
Arizona rancher held on $1M bond in killing near US border
A rancher who lives near Arizona's border with Mexico is being held on a charge of first-degree murder in last week's fatal shooting of a man tentatively identified as a Mexican citizen. His bail was set at $1 million.
Gun dealers fighting Mexico’s claim they’re responsible for violence
Attorneys for five Arizona gun dealers are asking a federal judge to toss out a claim by the Mexican government that they are responsible for violence in that country. In a new court filing, the team of lawyers says nothing in the complaint alleges any evidence that the weapons sold by the five companies -- three in Tucson, one in Yuma and one in Phoenix -- actually were used by Mexican cartels in[...]
Illegal border crossings surge to highest of Biden’s term
A surge in Cuban and Nicaraguan arrivals at the U.S. border with Mexico in December led to the highest number of illegal border crossings recorded during any month of Joe Biden's presidency, authorities said Friday.
Hobbs, legislature should prioritize funding for Border Strike Task Force
As the head of agencies that benefit from the state investment in law enforcement activities related to border crime, the Arizona Sheriff’s Association members urge Gov. Katie Hobbs to consider the important work done using the border task force dollars that have gone for local law enforcement throughout the state.