A funding bill passed by the U.S. House this week allocates some $63 billion to the Department of Homeland Security — including some $10 billion directly to ICE.
Roughly $75 billion was already allocated to the agency through the massive GOP spending bill passed last summer.
The House passed this latest bill in a 220-207 vote this week — without many of the accountability measures pursued by Democrats — like explicit use-of-force policies and a requirement for agents to unmask.
The vote comes amid public outcry over ICE’s tactics in places like Minneapolis. All of Arizona’s Republican representatives voted to move the bill forward, while all of the state’s Democrats opposed it. Sen. Ruben Gallego has said he will oppose the version brought to the Senate.
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Republican state lawmakers want the state’s water agency to keep them apprised of all Colorado River negotiations, indicating that the governor is getting more updates than them. -
Leaders with the Central Arizona Project opened the door to potential lawsuits over the federal management of Colorado River water. -
New federal court filings reveal that efforts to build an ICE detention center in Surprise are progressing slowly, and the Department of Homeland Security has indicated there is no rush to open the facility. -
Cataloging information from the Confluence may also be used to potentially deter future commercial development by industries like hydropower — while the Trump administration is eyeing energy projects on tribal lands. -
The boy’s death and the pay-to-play allegations highlight questions about Arizona's congregate-care capacity for children, training for workers who care for them and oversight of providers and other contractors who hold leverage over the state simply due to their size and influence.
