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In today’s newsletter:
📈 For months, immigrant communities and advocates said arrests were rising here. Now newly analyzed ICE data show Arizona arrests more than tripled last fiscal year. Read our story here.
🚨 A Haitian asylum seeker detained in Florence died Monday after complaining for weeks about an untreated tooth infection, the 10th death in U.S. immigration custody in 2026. Read more.
🚔 From a new sobering center to police training, Tucson and Pima County are rolling out new approaches to addiction and public drug use. Read more from the joint meeting.
🔌 Tucson officials outlined four potential paths toward public power — including small city-run utilities or a full acquisition of TEP infrastructure. Read the story.
Featured stories
ICE arrests tripled in Arizona last fiscal year as street operations surged
This story is published in partnership with CALÓ News, a nonprofit, community-centered newsroom uplifting Latinos in Arizona and California. Immigration arrests in Arizona more than tripled in Fiscal Year 2025 […]
How 3 new Pima County and Tucson programs are addressing addiction, training police
Among city initiatives, county programs and non-profit efforts, there are a kaleidoscope of different ways city officials are working to address the reality that many people are living on the […]
Tucson leaders weigh public power options as TEP franchise agreement is set to expire
Tucson officials debated Tuesday whether the city should move toward public ownership of its electric system as a franchise agreement with Tucson Electric Power nears expiration. The city manager’s office […]
Haitian man seeking asylum dies after untreated tooth infection in Florence ICE detention, official says
A Haitian man seeking asylum and held at a Florence detention center became the tenth person to die in 2026 while in the custody of U.S. immigration officials. The man […]
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Donate essential hygiene items during the Caring Kits Hygiene Collection Drive hosted by The Salvation Army Tucson through April 15. Community members can drop off new, unopened hygiene products at The Salvation Army Hospitality House, 1002 N. Main Ave., to support people in need across Tucson. Donations like shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, tissues and women’s hygiene products will help restore dignity and promote wellness in the community.
Community members are invited to a public meeting to weigh in about the future development of affordable housing on 12 acres of city-owned property on South 10th Avenue. Potential developers will present ideas for the space to neighbors at a meeting Thursday, March 5 starting at 5:30 p.m at 300 S. Fire Central Place.
The Arizona Land and Water Trust announced the protection of an additional 1,372 acres of Rain Valley Ranch in Cochise County, completing a phased conservation effort that began in 2015 that has preserved more than 5,510 acres of the historic cattle ranch. The property, located east of Sonoita along State Highway 82, lies within a key wildlife corridor and provides habitat for endangered and sensitive species, including jaguars. The conservation easement also supports the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape plan by limiting development and reducing electromagnetic interference with military training operations on the Army base.
A new report by the The Electric Power Research Institute, a research group focused on equitable energy access, finds that Arizona is among six other states that could see their data centers exceed 20% of the state’s electricity usage by 2030. Nationally, the report finds, data centers could consume up to 17% of all American electricity by 2030, which is more than double the amount they use today. Read the full report here.
The Tohono O’odham Nation is considering changes to its election laws that would strengthen candidate background check requirements, make candidate photos on ballots mandatory and give the Election Board new authority to disqualify candidates convicted of felonies. The public notice period for upcoming elections would expand from four months to five months before a general election. Tribal members can attend a virtual public hearing about the proposed amendments on Tuesday, March 10, or comment by email through April 24.
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