The annual Martin Luther King Jr. march in Phoenix saw thousands of Arizona residents. Among them were some of the state's heavyweight political figures — including Attorney General Kris Mayes.
For many, the event was not only a time of remembrance for the late civil rights leader, but was a moment for reflection on today’s political landscape and the parallels it has to the political turmoil faced during King’s heyday.
“I think this is a particularly poignant King Day in the state of Arizona,“ Mayes said. “I want Arizonans to know that the attorney general’s office and the state of Arizona will protect all of our residents.”
As of January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has more than doubled its officer supply. Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release the federal agency hired an additional 12,000 agents in just under four months.
The surge in ICE’s infantry has led politicians like Mayes to become concerned with the agency's tactics.
“I don’t believe ICE is a real law enforcement agency, it is not a professionalized law enforcement agency.” Mayes said. “I am very concerned about it, but we will remain vigilant.”
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In November, Phoenix unanimously approved its middle housing ordinance to comply with a state law that passed in 2024. The ordinance allows multifamily housing in downtown, including in once protected historic neighborhoods. -
Negotiators are focusing on a five-year agreement for sharing water from the shrinking river. Experts say that would provide some much-needed flexibility. -
Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona introduced a trio of bills — including one called the Drain ICE Act, which would rescind the $75 billion a GOP-crafted spending bill earmarked for the agency last year. -
A pair of education groups are proposing a ballot initiative to rein in Arizona's universal school voucher program — which has ballooned to a nearly billion-dollar-a-year expense since first approved in 2022. -
A new lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union contends that the state can’t stop “advanced practice clinicians” — like nurse practitioners — from performing abortions in Arizona.
