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Cracked mud flats appear on the surface of Quitobaquito pond on July 18, 2020.

Scientists: Border wall construction wreaking havoc at Quitobaquito Springs

More than two dozen ecologists, biologists and hydrologists say the desert oasis is in worse shape than ever.

A boy in San Luis, Mexico looks through the fencing and concertina wire that separates San Luis, Mexico and San Luis, Arizona, December 2018.

Report: Coronavirus exacerbates existing health crisis for migrants at the border

The report found migrants waiting south of the border face conditions that make them particularly susceptible to communicable diseases.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, Feb. 26, 2020.

Trump administration memo changes DACA protections, at odds with ruling

Legal battles continue despite a June Supreme Court ruling upholding the Obama-era program.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved more than 6.6 million people to be citizens in the last decade.

Planned furloughs of USCIS workers delayed

Furloughs have been rescheduled for the end of August unless emergency funding gets approved, a union steward said.

Census Day is April 1, and the snapshot of where Americans live impacts billions of dollars of funding each year.

Analysis shows how Trump's census change would impact Congress

The Pew Research Center used 2017 data to estimate how many undocumented people are in each state.

Protesters in 2019 at the Supreme Court, which rejected a Trump administration plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Now the president is directing the Census Bureau to take “all appropriate action” to determine the number of undocumented immigrants, even without the question.

Critics: Trump order to discount undocumented migrants in census will fail

Opponents immediately vowed to sue, saying the move was unconstitutional and unenforceable.

Daily news roundup: Federal unemployment set to run out, immigration issues loom over Washington

Recent coverage impacting Southern Arizona, July 20.

A woman and child embrace along the border in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora where migrants seeking asylum formed an encampment along the sidewalk as they waited to make formal requests with U.S. Customs officers at the San Luis Port of Entry in December 2018.

COVID-19 closures hit already-backlogged immigration courts

More than a million people are awaiting immigration court hearings nationwide, according to estimates.

DACA supporters gathered outside ICE in Phoenix on June 18, 2020, to celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling to continue the DACA program for now.

US District Court says Trump administration must accept new DACA applications

Policy experts say the administration has failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.

Blanca Sierra Reyes, 27, applied for DACA eight years ago and has renewed every two years since. She graduated with a master's degree in social work from ASU in spring 2019, an achievement she said would not have been possible without DACA.

Despite Supreme Court ruling, DACA slow to be restored

The Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the Obama-era program went into effect Monday

Ryan Parker Knox (left) and Joseph McGrath performing "The Mark on the Wall" by Virginia Woolf in the AZPM radio studio.

Rogue Radio presents Virginia Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson Samaritans' 18 year mission continues; and how the border wall endangers the future of the Sonoyta mud turtle.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in Phoenix, January 2019.

Arizona attorney general praises SCOTUS asylum decision

Brnovich said the ruling impacting the quick deportation of asylum seekers prevents a backlog in the immigration system.

President Trump speaks at a June 23 event in Phoenix, in this still image from White House video of the event.

Immigration advocates criticize visa restrictions under Trump executive order

While the administration says it will free up jobs for citizens, immigration experts say it will negatively affect the economy.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey speaks with President Trump on the president's visit to Arizona, June 23, 2020, in this still image from video posted on the Trump campaign social media.

President Trump visits border fence near San Luis

Later that day, the president addressed supporters in Phoenix.

DACA students and supporters gather in 2017 after the president announced the end of the program that allowed "Dreamers" to stay in the country.

After Supreme Court ruling, local DACA recipients eye more permanent solutions

Advocates and DACA recipients say lasting solutions must happen in Congress

President Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2018.

Trump tweet signals administration could again try to dismantle DACA

The Supreme Court shot down the administration's 2017 attempt to shut down the policy.

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