This week, Arizona 360 got a deeper understanding of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigates border-related crimes. Lorraine Rivera traveled to ICE's headquarters in Phoenix and sat down with Scott Brown who serves as special agent in charge of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations arm in Arizona.
"Our focus really as a border state is on drugs and people unlawfully coming into the state. And money and guns unlawfully moving out of the country," Brown said.
Arizona 360's interview took place hours before President Trump tweeted that ICE would begin deporting "millions of undocumented immigrants" the following week.
A statement from the agency released to Arizona 360 afterward reads: “The border crisis doesn’t start and stop at the border, which is why ICE will continue to conduct interior enforcement without exemption for those who are in violation of federal immigration law. This includes routine targeted enforcement operations, criminals, individuals subject to removal orders, and worksite enforcement. This is about addressing the border crisis by upholding the rule of law and maintaining the integrity of the immigration system, as created by Congress.”
Law enforcement from Arizona and Sonora came together this week at the annual Policia Internacional Sonora Arizona conference in Tucson. At the event, authorities from the two states shared ideas about training and discuss ways to cooperate more closely. Lorraine Rivera attended the conference and spoke to participants about the importance of maintaining close communication with their counterparts across the border.
As Mexico begins deploying its National Guard to its southern border with Guatemala to curb the influx of migrants journeying to the U.S., the move has faced opposition from within the country. KJZZ Mexico City Bureau Chief Rodrigo Cervantes discussed why some federal lawmakers are criticizing the decision and how President Trump's threat to levy new tariffs on Mexican trade led to the deployment.
The threat of new tariffs on Mexican imports drew strong opposition from stakeholders in Arizona and Mexico. The White House has said the President's strategy worked in getting Mexico to take steps to curb immigration from Central America. As for whether the threat had any lasting effects on the trade industry, Lorraine Rivera spoke to Luis Ramirez, whose firm Ramirez Advisors Inter-National advises clients on cross-border trade.
"I think we have a lesson learned. We have to plan ahead. Companies have to be prepared for future changes and in fact we've talked to several companies that are now looking at their contracts, their commitments and going, 'Do I have to pay for that? Should it happen or does it get passed on,'" Ramirez said. "It happened so sudden that many companies were caught off guard."
Arizona 360 interviewed all four Tucson mayoral candidates who qualified for the ballot. Candidates include Democrats Randi Dorman, Steve Farley and Regina Romero on the primary ballot, one of whom will face independent Ed Ackerley in November's general election. This week, Lorraine Rivera sat down with Steve Farley, who has served in both chambers of the state Legislature and ran for Arizona governor in 2018.
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