Legislation introduced by Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona would curb funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and require detention oversight.
Ansari 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.
Another would require Homeland Security to report on detainee health conditions and standards of care inside detention facilities — and mandate investigations into allegations of detainee abuse. The last directs the Congressional Budget Office to conduct a study on the long-term economic impact of the administration’s immigration policies. All three are co-sponsored by fellow southern Arizona Democrat, Adelita Grijalva.
Ansari says she’s witnessed severe neglect and deteriorating health of detainees during her visits to the Eloy Detention Center. And the legislative package is a step toward reining in ICE.
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Two third-party candidates who are under an investigation by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission that could force them to pay back millions in public funding have filed a lawsuit challenging the commission’s power to claw back the money. -
Televised debates are not just an effort of media outlets in our state. They are part of the Arizona Clean Elections Commission’s mission. But, every year, there are a number of major candidates who do not debate. -
More than 30,000 refugees, asylees and other legally present immigrants in Arizona could lose health coverage in a few weeks as new Medicaid eligibility rules take effect. -
More than 900 thousand voters registered in Maricopa County have no party affiliation, a larger group than either Democrats or Republicans. -
The Department of Interior rolled back habitat protection rules in the Endangered Species Act in July. Arizona and about 20 other states say in new legal filings that the Trump administration acted illegally.
