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The entrance to the La Palma Correction Center in Eloy, Arizona, 2019.

Former ICE detainee says little coronavirus information given in custody

Alejandra Alor Reyes spent almost 10 months in detention after claiming asylum at the border last June.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it follows COVID-19 testing and quarantine protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control for detained environments.

ICE data: Nearly half of detainees tested are positive for COVID-19

The agency has tested more than 1,000 detainees so far.
An image provided by the Center for Biological Diversity shows a group of construction workers at a site in the San Bernadino National Wildlife Refuge on April 8.

Continued wall construction puts border residents on edge amid COVID-19 pandemic

Residents of small border communities say construction workers don't practice safe social distancing on or off the job
President Donald Trump said his executive order suspending some forms of immigration for 60 days is meant to protect jobs for American workers during COVID-19. But experts say it does little more than what has already been done to tighten immigration.

Critics say Trump order on immigration does little but stir up anxiety

Experts said the order does little to expand restrictions in an immigration system that is already shut down in many ways.
U.S. Border Patrol agents near Sasabe, Arizona, March 22.

US extends CDC health protocol to speed deportations at the border

The order will remain until May 20 at least.
Adiba Nelson with her daughter Emory.

“'Rona needs to stay away!”: How a single mother stays resilient.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Free meals for our community; and an interview with César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, author of "Migrating to Prison: America's Obsession with Locking Up Immigrants".
Still image from a video provided by ACLU Arizona. The video shows a parked Customs and Border Protection vehicle at Diamond Children's Medical Center, located at Banner-University Medical Center, which the ACLU says was recorded on March 20.

ACLU calls on Border Patrol to halt enforcement at hospitals, other 'sensitive locations'

A video sent to the legal aid group shows an agency vehicle parked at a COVID-19 testing site.
Director of Clinic Operations Dilia Ayala (right) does a telehealth appointment with Dr. Uzma Jafri. The all-volunteer staff at the Phoenix Allies for Community Health clinic serves people with limited access to care.

Incomplete data and lack of testing means Arizona COVID-19 cases are undercounted

The governor has vowed to ramp up testing throughout Arizona, but the state’s information about current cases is still murky.
U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva sits for an interview at Arizona Public Media in November 2019.

Grijalva: Legislation would address disparities in COVID-19 relief for immigrant families

A discussion with the Southern Arizona Democrat about a bill he says would expand access to testing and aid.
A Border Patrol vehicle.

Groups say Border Patrol's accelerated deportations are sending migrants to ill-equipped border towns

The agency is using an emergency protocol to send migrants back across the border in a matter of minutes.
A Border Patrol vehicle at the fence on the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales.

Border Patrol expelling migrants to minimize virus exposure

The agency has returned to a deportation policy not seen in the Southwest in nearly 20 years.
A community health worker with the University of Arizona talks to a client during a mobile health screening event in Arizona in this photo taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health workers, aid groups step in to fill Spanish-language gap around COVID-19

More than 1 million people speak Spanish at home in Arizona, but official coronavirus bilingual communication has lagged.
President Trump signs the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, March 27. DACA recipients in Arizona say it fails to protect mixed immigration status families during a crucial time.

DACA recipients search for answers among local and federal measures to ease impact of pandemic

Recipients of the Obama-era program for immigrant youth say questions remain for mixed immigration status families
A construction worker works on installing 30-foot bollard fencing along Arizona's border with Mexico in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 2020.

Groups question risk, expense of border wall construction during coronavirus pandemic

Critics say big construction crews are still at work — increasing the risk of spreading the virus and traveling to other states.
Outside the Eloy Detention Center in Pinal County.

Immigration attorneys, turned away without protective gear, call for detention center closures

Arizona attorneys say they can't find protective equipment required to visit clients, putting their cases in danger.

Immigration lawyers: New personal protective equipment rules endangering detainees

Lawyers and advocacy groups say the U.S. government is defying public health rules intended to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

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