Tag: Yuma County

Arizona Attorney General Launches Investigation into Yuma County Broadband Project After Letter from Republican House Members

Tom Pappert
Kris Mayes

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes began an official investigation into the Yuma County Board of Supervisors on Thursday in response to a request to investigate by Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives.

A letter sent on Tuesday, led by State Representative Laurin Hendrix (R-Gilbert), warned about the decision by Yuma County to give a $30 billion contract to Allo Communications (AC), a Nebraska-based company, which did not have a contractor’s license in Arizona.

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Arizona House Requests Investigation to Determine if Yuma County Broke Law by Giving Federal COVID-19 Funds to Unlicensed Contractor

Tom Pappert

Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives have invoked their legal right on Monday to request an investigation by Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) over their concerns regarding how federal COVID-19 money was spent by Yuma County officials.

In a letter, lawmakers asked Mayes to launch an investigation to determine if the appointment of Nebraska-based Allo Communications by Yuma County to build rural Internet infrastructure violated both “state law and the Gift Clause of the Arizona Constitution,” in addition to “favoritism and abuse through a fundamentally flawed and potentially illegal procurement process.”

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More than 775,000 Illegal Border Crossers in Arizona Alone in Fiscal 2023

The Center Square

More than 775,000 people illegally crossed the border into Arizona in fiscal 2023, according to official U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and preliminary gotaway data.

This includes 576,912 apprehensions officially reported by CBP and at least 198,110 gotaways reported by Border Patrol agents alone, according to the preliminary data The Center Square obtained from a Border Patrol agent.

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Hobbs Announces $25 Million in Grants for Border Security

The Center Square

by Lauren Scott   Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on June 2 more than $25 million in border security awards for Yuma, Somerton, and Wellton Counties, and the Cocopah Indian Tribe. The funds will upgrade communications equipment, expand vehicle fleets, and hire additional personnel. They will allow local law enforcement to do their jobs more efficiently. Hobbs made the announcement during a press conference at Somerton City Hall in south Yuma County. “This funding will allow these cities to invest in meaningful technological support and ensure they have the tools needed to effectively manage the border,” Hobbs said at the news conference. The funding comes amid increased border crossings in the weeks after President Joe Biden ended Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic-era rule allowing asylum seekers and others to be turned away at the border. Yuma Chief of Police Thomas Garrity said this grant will deliver professional services to the community. The City of Somerton thanked Hobbs on Twitter “for helping secure vital funding for our Police Department.” Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said the funding would upgrade their current radio system. The Cocopah Indian Tribe posted on its Facebook page, “Of the combined total of $25 million, Cocopah will receive $2.3 million for critical equipment the Cocopah…

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Local Arizona Leaders Detail Reality of Border Crisis at Hearing Democrats Boycotted

Admin

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing at the southern border Thursday focused on the effects of the border crisis on a local Arizona community. “The Biden Border Crisis,” marked the second hearing the committee held on the situation at the southern border this Congress. 

“It’s about time we told the truth. It’s about time we fix this problem,” Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., said of the border crisis during an interview with The Daily Signal shortly before the hearing began.  

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Yuma County Declares Emergency at Southern Border as Title 42 Nears End

Neil Jones

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors (BOS) officially declared a state of emergency regarding the southern border Wednesday, citing concerns with health and the potential increase of migrant activity in the coming month.

“More than 300,000 apprehensions have been made by Yuma Sector agents in fiscal year 2022. The number of asylum seekers is expected to increase sharply with the expiration of Title 42 on Wednesday, December 21. The emergency declaration will allow for additional flexibility and resources to address the evolving issue,” according to the declaration.

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Protesters Block Construction of Border Wall with Shipping Containers as Biden Administration Sues Arizona

Rachel Alexander

Outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey ordered gaps in the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border patched using shipping containers earlier this year, but protesters are blocking workers from finishing the project. At the same time, the Biden administration hit Arizona with a lawsuit also attempting to stop the construction. 

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who has taken on the Biden administration numerous times over its inaction on the border, vowed to defend the state in court, hinting that he would not be cowed into a settlement. “President Biden says there are more important things to talk about than the border, yet his DOJ is suing to immediately tear down our crowd control structure,” he tweeted. “Once again, we’ll see you in court.”

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Federal Government Sues Arizona over Temporary Border Barrier, Ducey’s Office Says Claims Are Inaccurate and Redundant

Neil Jones

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the state of Arizona Wednesday, demanding it removes shipping containers placed under Gov. Doug Ducey (R) as a temporary patch in border wall holes. In a response shared with The Arizona Sun Times, Ducey’s Office stated the claims made are either inaccurate or redundant.

“Arizona’s border barrier was always intended to be a temporary solution until the federal government erects a permanent solution,” wrote Anni Foster, General Council for the Governor’s Office. “Arizona agencies and contractors stand ready to assist in the removal of the barriers, but the federal government owes it to Arizonans and all Americans to release a timeline on when construction will begin and details about how it will secure the border while construction is underway.”

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Two More Indicted in Yuma Ballot-Harvesting Scheme

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced this week that two more defendants, both from San Luis, have been indicted with felonies for conspiracy and ballot abuse over illegally collecting ballots. 

The indictments allege that Gloria Lopez Torres, a San Luis council member and Gadsden Elementary School District Board (GESD) member, collected seven ballots from Nadia Guadalupe Lizarraga-Mayorquin. The latter collected at least one ballot from a third party. The women put the ballots in ballot drop boxes on August 4, 2020, for the city’s municipal election.

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Yuma County Former Democratic Official and Neighbor Sentenced in Ballot-Harvesting Scheme

Rachel Alexander

The former Democratic mayor of San Luis, Arizona, and a neighbor were sentenced Thursday for their involvement in ballot harvesting. Guillermina Fuentes was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days in jail. Alma Yadira Juarez, who was caught handling the ballots with the former mayor, was sentenced to a year of probation. 

Prosecutors said Fuentes “appears to have been caught on video running a modern-day political machine seeking to influence the outcome of the municipal election in San Luis.” The documentary 2,000 Mules from filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza and the election integrity group True the Vote spotlighted ballot harvesting in Yuma County, featuring testimony from an anonymous whistleblower there. 

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Former Mayor of San Luis Pleads Guilty to Ballot Harvesting in Arizona 2020 Primary Election

Neil Jones

Guillermina Fuentes, the former mayor of San Luis, pleaded guilty this week to illegally collecting early ballots in the 2020 Primary Election as a part of a ballot harvesting scheme.

“Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that Guillermina Fuentes of San Luis pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of Ballot Abuse, a Class 6 Felony, for her role in an August 2020 Primary Election “ballot harvesting” scheme where early ballots from other voters were collected and deposited into a ballot box on primary Election Day,” according to an Attorney General Office (AGO) press release.

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True the Vote Testifies to Arizona Legislators Regarding ‘2,000 Mules’ Documentary on Ballot Harvesting, Urges Passage of HB 2289

Rachel Alexander

Two representatives from True the Vote, the election integrity organization whose work using GPS smartphone data to investigate ballot harvesting in Arizona and other states was featured in the recent 2,000 Mules documentary by Dinesh D’Souza, testified during an Arizona Legislative hearing on Tuesday providing further details. Catherine Engelbrecht, the founder and president, and Gregg Phillips, a data expert, drew frequent gasps and clapping, despite a request for no clapping at the beginning. When asked by legislators what Engelbrecht recommended for action, she said pass HB 2289. Sponsored by State Rep. John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction), it bans drop boxes and has passed the House, but has been held up in the Senate. 

Democrats in the legislature tried to interfere with the hearing by forcing a vote on a gun control bill, stalling it for well over an hour. Right Side Broadcasting filmed the hearing live on YouTube, but it was yanked by YouTube by the time it was finished. 

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True the Vote to Present Ballot Harvesting Information to Arizona Republicans

Peter D'Abrosca

A voter integrity organization will present information about ballot harvesting in the 2020 election to a group of Republican law makers next week. 

“On Tuesday, May 31, True the Vote will host a presentation for Arizona State Senate and House Members relating to findings of ballot harvesting that occurred in both Maricopa and Yuma Counties during the 2020 General Election,” the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus said in a Friday press release. 

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