Officials in Douglas — along the border between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora — have declared a state of emergency. The designation could free up additional financial aid from the state and make it easier to impose curfews.
The city’s mayor, Jose Grijalva, says it’s necessary because of policy shifts enacted under President Donald Trump — including his national emergency declaration along the U.S.-Mexico border. Grijalva says those changes stand to hurt his city’s economy, which relies on tourists coming over from Sonora.
“This is an effort to remain guarded, be proactive and create a preventive position for the city of Douglas,” he said.
Grijalva says he hopes the designation sounds the alarm about how federal immigration policy impacts local border communities.
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No More Deaths’ aid camp is stationed in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, a few miles from the border in southern Arizona. The group said that site was raided by Border Patrol agents the Sunday before Thanksgiving. -
This year’s Dream Act introduction comes as those protections are waning — as the AP reports, at least 20 DACA recipients have been detained by immigration authorities this year — despite their status. -
As the Trump administration’s aggressive deportations continue, one group is being targeted that has some law enforcement and prosecutors concerned: U visa applicants. -
The State Department accuses the company, which they did not name, of knowingly facilitating illegal immigration. -
Grijalva said humanitarian volunteers with the nonprofit group No More Deaths reported that warrantless Border Patrol agents forced their way into their desert aid station and arrested three migrants who were resting inside a trailer.
