Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
NEW: Celestin Dima fled anti-gay persecution in Burkina Faso, then spent 2+ years in ICE detention despite being protected from deportation there.
Now, he's won asylum, and the legal landscape that kept him in limbo is shifting—but not without a fight: azcir.org/news/2026/10/06/ic…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
The DOJ suit against AZ cited our reporting on the state's implementation of Prop. 308, which allows undocumented students to get in-state tuition.
But in using AZCIR's work to calculate the law’s financial impact, the DOJ got an important detail wrong: azcir.org/news/2026/08/28/di…
Worth noting: The financial calculations used in this lawsuit misinterpret AZCIR's findings. The number of students reported was cumulative since the program began, up until the fall 2025 semester (not in a single semester)
We previously reported that fewer undocumented students than anticipated were receiving reduced tuition under Prop. 308, largely due to its disjointed implementation. Now, the DOJ is suing AZ, saying the policy is unlawful regardless of how many benefited: azcir.org/news/2026/08/27/do…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
We previously reported that fewer undocumented students than anticipated were receiving reduced tuition under Prop. 308, largely due to its disjointed implementation. Now, the DOJ is suing AZ, saying the policy is unlawful regardless of how many benefited: azcir.org/news/2026/08/27/do…
"They cycle through things like (group homes) and homelessness and crisis centers and interactions with police and fire. All the while getting sicker and sicker and sicker—and almost irredeemable."
@ArizCIR's latest, via @JasmineADemers
In 2019, Arizona lawmakers authorized secure residential facilities for people with serious mental illness who repeatedly cycle through hospitals, homelessness and jail.
Seven years later, the facilities still don’t exist.
azcir.org/news/2026/08/13/de…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
ICYMI: A lawsuit brought by two out-of-state investment firms could make it harder for AZ to protect vulnerable groundwater basins. It’s already complicating decisions in other threatened aquifers.
azcir.org/news/2026/08/06/hu…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
NEW: A lawsuit brought by two out-of-state investment firms could make it harder for AZ to protect vulnerable groundwater basins.
The case centers on the Hualapai Valley, where outside agricultural interests control virtually all of the basin's farmland. azcir.org/news/2026/08/06/hu…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
AZ has spent years & millions of dollars trying to get more students to continue their education after high school. So why are fewer students enrolling? Tune in to @kjzzphoenix 's The Show this AM at 9 to hear @ArizCIR's @molboha discuss her latest story: kjzz.org/
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
A federal monitoring program was intended to protect those with schizophrenia from a rare blood disorder. Instead, patients lost access to their antipsychotic medication, sometimes with fatal consequences. Here’s what happened when families fought back. azcir.org/news/2026/06/08/fd…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
Arizona’s public universities quietly dismantled DEI programs over the past year, following threats from the federal government to cut funding. When AZCIR asked what changed, officials declined interviews, denied records requests and ignored questions. tinyurl.com/55yn7ku2
The citations remain in federal records for 30 years and can complicate green card or citizenship applications, potentially making people more vulnerable to deportation as the Trump administration expands efforts to revoke legal status of legal residents
CBP agents in southwest Arizona have issued more than 100 citations to legal immigrants using a 1952 “carry your papers” law that has been rarely enforced for decades. azcir.org/news/2026/03/04/bo…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
Amid rumors of increased ICE enforcement in AZ, I want to hear from students and staff at our colleges and universities about the vibe on campus and what, if anything, schools are saying about potential ICE visits. Read my latest update and reach out: mailchi.mp/azcir.org/ice-pol…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
The legislator behind one of the 2025 measures said his bill was intended to protect women’s health and welfare, since voters didn’t grasp the implications of Prop. 139 'quite like we do in the Legislature as lawmakers.'
NEW: Prop. 139 won majority support in every AZ district, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Instead of adjusting course, GOP lawmakers pushed new abortion restrictions, @adrianaavarro found—with more coming this session: azcir.org/?p=35084
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
3 yrs after AZ voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students through Prop 308, it’s unclear how many have actually benefited. The state had no centralized system to oversee the law's rollout or ensure consistent implementation, @molboha found: azcir.org/news/2026/01/07/pr…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
Register by January 15 for our first NSAA training of the new year in Phoenix! Co-hosted by @ArizCIR, this session is free to all freelance and staff journalists in the area, covering the unique safety concerns facing journalists in Arizona. Sign up here: bit.ly/NSAA-Phoenix
In our latest, a dispatch from Ukraine, we trace a direct line from Ukraine’s drone war to the U.S.–Mexico border, examining a blurring between military innovation and civilian law enforcement that has fueled the rise of dual-use, military-grade technology in domestic border ops
Drones “battle-tested” in Ukraine are now being piloted at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the boundaries between local police and military operations are becoming increasingly blurred.
Reported from Ukraine w/ @Appalachia100. Supported by @IWMF. azcir.org/news/2025/12/17/uk…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
It’s #GivingNewsDay! If you’ve read, shared or relied on AZCIR’s reporting this year, today’s the day to support it. Help us reach our $5,000 goal! Every donation — big or small — is matched 2X. azcir.fundjournalism.org/new…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
NEW: When CA and NV tightened groundwater rules, investors didn’t stop drilling — they just moved into AZ. Now, more than 99% of cropland in one rural basin is owned or controlled by out-of-state interests. @ArizCIR's latest must-read:
azcir.org/news/2025/11/13/ou…
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
Democracy can’t survive without high-quality, independent journalism.
From today through 12/31, all donations made to our nonprofit newsroom are double-matched by local and national donors #NewsMatch.
Democracy needs news. News needs you.
bit.ly/47jUt0c
Brandon Quester || @bquester.bsky.social retweeted
Last night, AZCIR’s @bquester joined @pressfreedom’s @kajtweets, media attorney David Bodney and @AZAGMayes to discuss evolving threats journalists face—and the strategies they need to stay safe while uncovering the truth. Thanks to @Cronkite_ASU for this critical conversation.
