Phoenix leaders will meet behind closed doors Tuesday to get legal advice about Trump administration policies regarding immigration.
The council’s executive session stems from a Department of Justice memo, which says state and local officials who don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement could be charged under federal laws. The three-page memo calls on U.S. attorneys to investigate local officials who fail to comply with immigration related commands or requests.
In 2017, during President Donald Trump’s first term, city leaders rejected a citizen petition to declare Phoenix a sanctuary city. Then-Mayor Greg Stanton said it would violate state law and the city would risk losing millions in state shared revenue.
Later that year, Phoenix police updated department policies to require a sergeant's approval before contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Researchers used bystander video and news reports to put together a database of incidents where pepper spray, rubber bullets and other measures were used by law enforcement — resulting in injuries ranging from cuts and burns, to traumatic brain injuries. -
A congressionally approved federal program has for years provided funding for a handful of legal groups representing immigrant kids in Arizona and elsewhere. The Trump administration moved to end the program last spring. -
Arizona Democrats are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after several cases of measles were confirmed among people in ICE custody in the state. -
The Kino Border Initiative and Loyola University Chicago School of Law filed a report to the United Nations, arguing conditions at U.S. immigration detention centers violate international human rights standards — including those prohibiting torture. -
Top Republican Arizona state lawmakers are lining up with the Department of Homeland Security — and against the Tohono O'odham Nation — over whether the federal agency can build 62 miles of border wall through that reservation.
