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A protester bangs a drum on the sidewalk outside the La Palma Detention Center in Eloy, Arizona. Protesters in over 200 cars circled the facility on on April 10 calling for the release of detainees in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Migrants plead for release as COVID-19 cases surge in ICE detention

At least 122 migrants have the virus at the Eloy Federal Contract Facility, the second-most nationwide.
The Colorado River, west of Yuma, Arizona, before it reaches Morelos Dam on the U.S.-Mexico border.

No border wall for Arizona tribe's Colorado River stretch

The cross-border Cocopah Indian Tribe has lived along the river delta for centuries.
A protester bangs a drum on the sidewalk outside the La Palma Detention Center in Eloy, Arizona. Protesters in over 200 cars circled the facility on on April 10 calling for the release of detainees in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Immigration advocates: Exposure to COVID-19 higher than reported in ICE detention

Tucson legal aid group says a third of their clients tested positive for the virus once released.
A court document submitted by federal attorneys May 20 eliminates funding for a stretch of border wall that would have crossed through tribal land.

Defense Department cuts funding for border wall section in Yuma

A court document pulls funding for a 7-mile stretch that would have crossed tribal land.
Looking west toward the San Rafael Valley and the Patagonia Mountains.

Groups say border wall construction threatens biodiversity of Arizona sky islands

Conservation groups say the animals rely on the ranges to travel between habitats in the U.S. and Mexico.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, Feb. 26, 2020.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf's Arizona visit covers wall construction, PPE for Border Patrol

The secretary's visit included a trip to the border wall and a Border Patrol facility in Tucson.
A Border Patrol vehicle.

Border residents: Border Patrol agents not wearing protective gear at checkpoints

The agency says front-line agents are provided with masks, but federal guidelines don't require them.
A scene from the film "DUSTWUN", written and directed by Genevieve Anderson.

DUSTWUN - A film about life, death & trust on the U.S. / Mexico border.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How Imago Dei Middle School is building community with food; and - can a borderlands hotel that has survived a century endure the COVID-19 pandemic?
A group of men, women and children prepare their documents after approaching and surrendering to Border Patrol in the Yuma Sector, 2019.

Trump administration finalizes deal to send asylum seekers to Honduras

The administration forged a similar deal with the government of Guatemala last year.
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.
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".
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 construction worker works on installing 30-foot bollard fencing along Arizona's border with Mexico in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 2020.

Lawsuits challenging border wall funding can move forward, judge rules

A U.S. District Court judge last week ruled two lawsuits brought by environmental groups will be allowed to continue.
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.
Douglas, Arizona, 2017.

Border residents brace for change with approach of closure to nonessential travel

Both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border in Douglas were left wondering what comes next as the Friday night restriction neared.

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