Arizona is one of 20 states suing the Trump administration over a recently-announced fee for H-1B visa applications — that’s the visa used by foreign nationals working in fields like tech, medicine and other specialized fields.
The change was announced in a presidential proclamation in September — and under it, companies applying for H-1B visas for their foreign-born workers are required to pay $100,000 before the worker is given entry to the US.
Arizona Attornrey General Kris Mayes says rural school districts like in Buckeye, west of Phoenix and Nogales, south of Tucson, rely on H-1B visas to hire teachers and other staff and can’t afford the fee.
She says the change will also impact the state’s growing semiconductor industry — at a time when Arizona is already facing hiring struggles. The states’ lawsuit argues the new fee violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act.
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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. -
Speaking with Jake Tapper on CNN’s "State of the Union" on Sunday, Sen. Gallego said Arizonans want ICE agents to focus on criminals and security. -
Four people have been wounded or killed in ICE shootings across the county this month — including US citizen Renee Good, who died in Minneapolis after an ICE agent shot into her car’s front window. -
The Alhambra Elementary School District is considering closing a campus that serves refugee families from across the globe. -
In a press release this week, city officials say they’re closely monitoring the situation of other cities — where the Trump administration has sent National Guard troops without requests from local or state governments.
