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Benito Encinas' teenage son, Emilio, hands him a bicycle from the top of a recent load of used Arizona goods that he brought back to the Hector Espino Tianguis.

Sonoran flea markets give new life to used Arizona goods

In Arizona, it's common to see southbound pickups loaded to capacity with household goods. Many are headed to Mexico's tianguis.
Grapes being inspected at the Nogales Port of Entry.

Cool spring means rush of Mexican grapes before threatened tariffs

Almost all grapes imported from Mexico passed through Nogales ports last year, data show.
"New Mexico I-10 mile marker 16 Eastbound. A freshly painted shrine for Rafael and Luis, the Virgin watches me through the plexiglas from her post between the crosses marking the passage of these two travelers, the paint is so fresh the dirt is still blue. It’s good to know you are loved." - Jesse Sensibar

Signs of life and death along southwestern highways

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson restaurant history, becoming a goat, and looking back at Dr. Martin Luther King's visits to Tucson.
A Border Patrol vehicle at the fence on the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales.

Filing: Agent who knocked over migrant called them 'savages'

The court records say texts show a Border Patrol agent's "disdain" prior to allegedly knocking down a Guatemalan man.
Tony Coulson, retired head of the DEA in Tucson, sits across from Arizona 360 host Lorraine Rivera in Arizona Public Media's studio on May 14, 2019.

Human Trafficking Part of Larger Cartel Strategy

Former DEA Tucson head Tony Coulson discusses when drug cartels added human smuggling to their business model.
CBP Tucson Field Office Director of Field Operations Guadalupe Ramirez and Nogales Port Director Mike Humphries outside the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales on May 15, 2019.

Challenges at Arizona's Ports of Entry

Hearing from CBP's director of field operations and the Nogales port chief.
A customs officer waves at a vehicle to move forward at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales on May 15, 2019.

Ports of Entry; Border Policy & Migration; Cartel Smuggling

Plus, Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson discusses her vote to accept Operation Stonegarden funding.

Arizona Man Convicted In Kidnapping-for-Weed Plot Denied New Trial

The 9th Circuit said errors in the trial were not enough to warrant a do-over.
A Border Patrol vehicle drives along a section of fence at the Organ Pipe National Monument, west of Lukeville, Arizona, on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018.

Border Wall to Go Up in National Monument, Wildlife Refuge

DHS has again waived environmental laws to build more barriers along the southern border.
This March 7, 2019 Customs and Border Protection photo shows a group of more than 100 migrants lined up at the border in the El Paso Sector.

Migrants at Southern Border Top 100K for 2nd Month in a Row

The numbers of migrants encountered in April was the highest since 2007, according to Homeland Security.
An organ pipe cactus within the national monument.

Trump Administration Seeks to Build Border Wall Across Protected Lands

Environmental groups say a new wall would further endanger wildlife and habitat along the border.
A woman carries her belongings into the Benedictine Monastery shortly after arriving as part of a group of migrants transported by the Department of Homeland Security from El Paso to Tucson on Feb. 21, 2019.

City Spends $20K to Shelter Migrants

So far neither the state nor the federal government has offered to help offset those costs.
A map of the Sierrita Gas Pipeline from Tucson to the U.S.-Mexico border near Sasabe.

Construction Underway on Arizona Cross-Border Pipeline Expansion

Once completed, a new facility will more than double the pipeline's capacity.
Families seeking asylum await processing outside the port of entry in Nogales, Sonora, on Sept. 4, 2018.

US Government to Give DNA Tests at Border to Check for Fraud

The voluntary testing comes amid an increase in families crossing the border and growing concern about child trafficking.
1,100 backpacks represent the number of college students who died by suicide in 2018. This event was designed to raise awareness about mental health and encourage suicide prevention.

Can 1,000 Empty Backpacks Save Lives?

Also: How Pima County could pay for newly opened migrant shelters; Bridging cultural divides with the Persian language; Tucson author Janni Lee Simner reads from her new book.
Guatemalan father with his 5 year old daughter. It took father and daughter almost two weeks to get to the Arizona border. They are asylum seekers staying at a temporary shelter opened by the City of Tucson to relieve the overflow of migrants at Tucson shelters. (April 18, 2019)

The City of Tucson Offers Hope to Migrants in Need

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Go backstage at Tucson High Magnet School to preview "Our Border Town"; Tucson poet laureate TC Tolbert receives grant from the Academy of American Poets; And, what would you do with the blessing of extra time to be alive?

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