Free Republic

NOGALES, AZ (AZFamily) — A now-former employee of the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) was arrested earlier this month at the state’s southern border for alleged human smuggling, in an incident that threatens to derail the nomination of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ pick to run the state agency. Joshua Castro is facing two federal charges: one felony and one misdemeanor. Further details of the arrest were laid out in a complaint filed two weeks ago by the U.S. District Attorney of Arizona. On April 9, Border Patrol agents in Nogales spotted a black Chevrolet Impala quickly leaving a known smuggling route...

Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign spent thousands of dollars after the election on childcare expenses for the California Democrat, raising potential ethics concerns for a lawmaker who has been accused in the past of using his campaign war chest as a "personal piggybank." According to campaign finance records, the Swalwell campaign spent at least $20,000 on "childcare" from Nov. 8, three days after the election, to March 31. The payments went to two of the Swalwell family’s longtime babysitters as well as a Washington, D.C.-area Spanish language immersion preschool where tuition is around $3,000 per month. The payments raise potential ethics...

WASHINGTON -- Four House Democratic lawmakers have traveled to El Salvador to call attention to the plight of a man the Trump administration deported to a Salvadoran prison and has refused to help return — even after the Supreme Court ruled that it was the government's duty to do so. Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California arrived in the Central American nation on Sunday to investigate the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had lived in the United States for more than a decade. The Trump administration deported...

The House members are Reps. Robert Garcia, of California; Maxwell Frost, of Florida; Maxine Dexter, of Oregon; and Yassamin Ansari, of Arizona. Four House Democrats have traveled to El Salvador to, in the words of one member, remind Americans that Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland, was wrongfully deported to his home country. “While Donald Trump continues to defy the Supreme Court, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held illegally in El Salvador after being wrongfully deported,” said California Rep. Robert Garcia, one of the four. “That is why we’re here – to...

Democrat Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed the ICE Act, which would have mandated state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal officials to facilitate deportations. The legislation, Senate Bill 1164, aimed to have local authorities assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement with identification, detainment, and deportation of illegal aliens. Additionally, the bill barred any town or city from declaring “Sanctuary” policies that would restrict or hinder ICE actions. In her veto letter, Hobbs wrote, “Today I vetoed Senate Bill 1164. Arizonans, not Washington, DC politicians, must decide what’s best for Arizona.” “I will continue to work with the federal...

With Valero announcing the pending closure of one of its two remaining California refineries, the state will lose at least 18% of its current refining capacity by the end of 2026. Because California is an “energy island,” meeting demand for California and the parts of Nevada and Arizona that rely on its refineries will require costly imports of volatile fuel by emissions-heavy tanker ships. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has long blamed rising gas prices on refiners’ “price gouging,” but even though his own administration has said that it has no found no evidence of such, he called a special legislative...

A 2-year-old boy is safe after walking about 7 miles and spending the night in mountain lion territory in northwest Arizona after he snuggled up to a very good dog who had found the boy wandering in the rugged wilderness. His new furry hero then led him to safety in the morning. Two-year-old Boden Allen was reported missing on Monday afternoon after he wandered away from his home near Seligman, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. The little boy was last seen wearing just a tank top, pajama pants and Vans sneakers. Now enters the hero of this story:...

The news is overflowing with horror these days. But lately, there’s been a disturbing uptick in black-on-white crime — and it’s not just the numbers, which we all know nobody keeps track of, for obvious reasons. It’s the sheer brutality of it all. These aren’t random muggings or drive-bys —we’re talking about senseless, savage violence of the most shocking kind. And now, we’ve got another story to report — one that’s difficult to wrap your head around. This latest nightmare, which we’ll share with you shortly, comes on the heels of a case that shocked the nation: the brutal killing...

CBP officials are planning to construct approximately 24.7 miles of "new primary barrier" to close a gap just south of the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County... one of the few areas (in Arizona) without a border barrier.

All 15 Arizona counties have now begun the process of verifying and removing noncitizens from their voter rolls, including nearly 50,000 registrants who did not provide proof of U.S. citizenship. "This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans," America First Legal (AFL) senior counsel James Rogers told Fox News Digital after his organization’s successful lawsuit spearheaded the process in Arizona. AFL filed the lawsuit against the 15 Arizona counties last year on behalf of EZAZ.org, and Yvonne Cahill, a registered voter and naturalized citizen, arguing that the counties had not been following a state law that requires proof of...

President Trump just authorized the Dept of Defense to militarize the “Roosevelt Reservation” along the US border in CA, AZ, and NM This means the 60 foot buffer zone on a 700 mile stretch of our border will now be considered military property and troops can seize illegals to hand to Border Patrol Translation: He just activated the military to completely shut down the invasion on our southern border

The Brief Three inmates died during an altercation on Friday at a prison in Tucson. The inmates were not identified. TUCSON, Ariz. - An altercation at a Tucson prison on April 4 left three inmates dead, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) confirmed. What we know: The incident happened on Friday morning at the Arizona State Prison Complex, near Wilmot and Old Vail Road. Prison officials say there is no ongoing threat. As a result of the incident, visitation was canceled for Friday. "ADCRR's Office of the Inspector General has begun an initial criminal investigation related to...

An Arizona woman claimed she was boxed in on a busy highway and beaten up by another driver who targeted her for driving a Tesla. The 61-year-old woman, who goes by Susan, told Arizona's Family that she driving was along Route 66 in Flagstaff on March 18 when another vehicle started chasing her. Shocking footage of the attack showed the green car pulling up next to Susan's Tesla, then swerving in front to box her in. The driver of the green car approached Susan while she was still at the wheel, then allegedly started attacking her. 'I started to say,...

Washington -- America’s craft brewers already have enough problems. Hard seltzers and cocktails are muscling into beer sales. Millennials and Gen Z don’t drink as much as their elders. Brewpubs still haven’t fully recovered from the shock of COVID-19 five years ago. Now there’s a new threat: President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including levies of 25 per cent on imported steel and aluminum and on goods from Canada and Mexico. “It’s going to cost the industry a substantial amount of money,” said Matt Cole, brewmaster at Ohio-based Fat Head’s Brewery. Trump’ trade war “will be crippling for our industry if this...

A dark mass of clouds hung low over North Charleston as Marine Col. Charles "Tre" Del Pizzo began his descent. It was a Sunday afternoon, late September 2023. Del Pizzo's hands were on the control stick and throttle of an F-35B Lightning II, the U.S. military’s most advanced stealth fighter, a $136 million supercomputer with wings. The F-35B can hover like a helicopter, and Del Pizzo planned to use that technology to land. Del Pizzo had just finished a training sortie over the Atlantic with a second F-35B pilot, practicing tactics at upwards of 500 mph at seven times the...

Military vehicles meant to deter and detect migrants .. EL PASO, Texas – As of this week, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles known as Strykers have been deployed to the border for the first time in more than a decade as part of the Pentagon’s support of Customs and Border Protection. ... two are now stationed in the El Paso sector, with more Strykers expected to be deployed to other areas along the border in the next few weeks. One of the Strykers is positioned to give a bird’s-eye view over Juárez, Mexico, a major smuggling corridor known for its high...

Congressional Democrats — who were hoping to blast Republicans over budget cuts — instead took incoming from their exasperated constituents when they traveled home to host town halls. In Arizona, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly were confronted at a joint forum Monday by an attendee demanding to know if they “would support removing” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. In Oregon, an audience member told Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Janelle Bynum on Sunday that he is “so pissed off right now at the leadership in the United States Senate that they are not willing to step up and fight.”...

Most people worry about their bike or car being stolen — not their home. But that’s exactly what happened to D’Andrea Turner when squatters took over her Phoenix home and sold it without her knowledge. “It feels so surreal,” Turner shared in an interview with ABC 15 Arizona. “I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. Really, I didn’t even think something like this could happen.” But it did. After Turner’s ex-husband, Keith — a long-haul trucker — left the house unattended for a period of time, two strangers, Aaron Polmanteer and Lledera Hollen, forced their way in. Once inside,...

President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of news agency Voice of America, the U.S.'s state-funded media outlet that Trump has railed against for promoting biased media reports. "Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now," a senior White House official told Fox News Digital. Trump signed an executive order on Friday that commands the dismantling of seven government offices, including the United States Agency for Global Media, which is the parent company of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free...

PHOENIX — On the night of March 13, 1997, thousands of Arizonans looked up and saw something they couldn’t explain—a massive, V-shaped formation of lights hovering in the sky. Twenty-eight years later, the Phoenix Lights remain one of the most infamous UFO sightings in U.S. history, fueling speculation, debate, and ongoing scientific curiosity. Among those who witnessed the phenomenon firsthand was Dr. Lynne Kitei, a former medical professional who was so profoundly impacted that she left her career in medicine to study the lights full-time.