TUCSON, Ariz. – Groups pushing to make Tucson a sanctuary city say they are redoubling their efforts after the mass shooting in El Paso that they maintain was aimed at Hispanics.

Following a petition drive by immigration advocates, the Tucson Families Free and Together initiative has been placed on the November ballot by the Pima County Recorder's Office.

If the initiative is approved, it would make Tucson the first sanctuary city in Arizona.

Zaira Livier, director of the People's Defense Initiative, says her group is confident the measure will pass in November.

"Times are changing, and any migrants, any person of color can tell you that the last three years have been specifically challenging with such xenophobic rhetoric and violent rhetoric," Livier states.

The Pima County Republican Party has mounted a legal challenge to the signatures gathered to put the measure on the ballot.

Backers of the measure turned in about 18,000 signatures to the Pima County Recorder.

County election officials say a spot check of the signatures submitted verified about 72% of them, more than enough to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

A hearing has been scheduled next week on the suit filed by Pima County Republicans.

If the initiative is approved, Tucson, which already has designated itself an Immigrant Welcoming City, would adopt laws that limit local officials' ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Livier says the vote has taken on even more importance after the El Paso shootings.

"Violent rhetoric always leads to violence,” she stresses. “Violent policy always leads to violence. We're seeing the federal administration threaten our community for political expediency, threaten millions with deportations. What happened in El Paso was the manifestation of all of that."

Livier says one of the main targets of the initiative is to wipe out the last remnants of SB 1070, a broad anti-immigrant law passed by the Arizona State Legislature in 2010.

Although much of the law has been tossed out by the courts, it still has a "show me your papers" clause allowing police to ask anyone in custody to provide evidence of citizenship.

Livier says her group plans to take the momentum of winning in Tucson to other cities and counties across Arizona to change local laws in those locations.


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Advocates for immigrants are pushing back on a bill signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in the last few days of the legislative session, modeled on a recent, controversial Texas law.

Senate File 2340 gives local law enforcement officers and judges the authority to deport undocumented immigrants.

Erica Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, argued the bill is an overreach, and said Iowa law enforcement officers are not authorized to enforce it.

"This is a pretty clear intervention into federal territory," Johnson pointed out. "U.S. immigration law is governed by federal law."

Much like the author of the Texas bill, supporters in Iowa blame the Biden administration for failing to slow illegal immigration, so the state has decided to take matters into its own hands.

Johnson contended the bill and other anti-immigrant sentiment during the just-completed legislative session target the very people Iowa, with its dwindling population, will depend on for its future workforce.

"What we need is communities that are safe, where workers have access to dignified, safe workplaces," Johnson emphasized. "The truth of what Iowa's future could be depends on immigrants and immigrant workers in our state, and unfortunately, this law could take us back, away from that possible future. "

Johnson added her organization will pursue legal ways to block the bill from taking effect in July.


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The future of Senate Bill 4 is still tangled in court challenges. It's the Texas law that would allow police to arrest people for illegally crossing the border. But groups are speaking out about the impact of "Operation Lone Star" on the youngest migrants. Governor Greg Abbott continues to bus migrant families to other states, many with young children - more than 100,000 families so far.

Robert Sanborn, CEO of Children at Risk, works to improve the quality of life for boys and girls in Texas, and contends the policy has put trauma on top of trauma.

"We never want children to be political pawns. We don't want maximum chaos on the backs of children. We want children to grow up and be assets for our community," he contended.

Sanborn points out that 2.2 million children in Texas are immigrants, and said it would be less stressful for kids if families were not bused in the middle of the night, and if they were allowed to pick their destination.

When immigrants arrive at the border, they are evaluated to determine if they're eligible for asylum.

Beatriz Zavala, clinical coordinator at El Paso-based Humanitarian Outreach for Migrant Emotional Health, or "HOME," said the children in this situation are at higher risk for mental health disorders.

"What is particularly troubling is the profound disregard for the stability and protection these families need. The impact on their mental health is undeniable. These are not just statistics. These are children, real children," she said.

As part of Operation Lone Star, families have been bused to Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The governor has said the practice is needed to keep the Texas-Mexico border safe.


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Legislation in Albany would create the first right to counsel for people in immigration court.

The Access to Representation Act would provide immigrants the right to an attorney in their New York immigration cases, ending the tendency to represent themselves if they cannot afford one.

Estimates show a backlog of more than 330,000 immigration court cases, and fewer than half have attorneys. Studies show without legal counsel, migrants are less likely to remain in the U.S.

Marlene Galaz, director of immigrant rights policy for the New York Immigration Coalition, described what the bill would do.

"It has a six-year ramp-up to start implementing and building infrastructure," Galaz outlined. "Having a pipeline between law schools for law students to go into immigration practice, and getting to nonprofits and so on."

Galaz noted most opposition centers around the $150 million to fund the program but pointed out the total expenditure is less than 1% of the state's $229 billion budget. She added anti-immigrant rhetoric has also damaged support for the bill. Currently, it is in the state Senate Finance Committee.

The New York City Comptroller's office said enacting the bill would benefit the state financially. It could keep about 53,000 people from being deported, which would result in almost $8.5 billion in local, state and federal taxes over the next 30 years.

Galaz emphasized the influx of migrants has saturated the court system, leading to what could have been an avoidable backlog.

"I firmly believe that if these investments had been made when we first asked for them, I believe, like, three years ago, then we wouldn't be struggling," Galaz contended. "We would have had the infrastructure built to address an increase in welcoming our newest neighbors."

A Vera Institute survey showed 93% of New Yorkers across party lines and regions support access to attorneys for all people, including those in immigration court, and government-funded attorneys for them.


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