As dawn breaks over Buckeye, Raul Piña, a local resident, embarks on his usual walk with Beau, his Rottweiler. But in recent times, stepping out requires an additional step: ensuring he carries his passport card and ID.
This has become a shared routine for many Arizonans, especially American citizens, who now find themselves more cautious about the identification they carry due to heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Reports of increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Phoenix have contributed to this vigilance. More details on the ICE presence can be found here.
Piña, a U.S. citizen and Air Force veteran, describes the unease of carrying a passport routinely, “It’s an odd feeling to carry your passport,” he said. “And where does it stop? Do I need to carry my DD-214?” The DD-214 is a document issued by the Department of Defense, as explained here.
Piña’s concerns are rooted in memories of strict immigration enforcement under former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who implemented State Bill 1070. This legislation allowed law enforcement to question individuals about their immigration status under reasonable suspicion. Though parts of the bill were blocked, the Supreme Court upheld a provision that allowed for identification checks, detailed in the state bill.
Federal rulings, such as the Supreme Court’s decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, have further complicated matters. The ruling permits ICE to use race and language as factors in immigration stops, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh noting that “apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion” but can be a “relevant factor.” More on this decision can be found here.
Community members like Piña, involved in the Melendres v. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office case, are concerned about these enforcement strategies. The ongoing case, which began in 2007 over racial profiling, continues to challenge compliance efforts. Additional insights on this case are available here. Despite hopes that it would curb such practices, Piña notes, “It looks like the opposite has happened. These strategies, these tactics have spread to other areas, all over the country now.”
Recent actions, such as the Homeland Security Investigations-led raid on 16 restaurants in Phoenix, have kept residents alert, raising concerns about SB 1070-style tactics, as described here.
Jonah Phung, a lifelong Arizona resident, echoes this sentiment, observing that current operations feel more aggressive and indiscriminate compared to SB 1070. Phung and his family began carrying extra ID after witnessing similar actions affecting the Asian community in Minnesota, more of which can be read here.
Efforts to educate and assist affected communities continue. Christy Stewart of No More Deaths leads Know Your Rights training sessions and rapid response activities in Tucson. These initiatives aim to support communities during ICE operations, focusing on neighborly support and legal rights awareness.
Indigenous communities in Arizona are also impacted. The Navajo Nation, among others, provides resources and IDs to members to affirm their status. Reports of a Navajo man detained by ICE in Peoria have spurred individuals like Todd Middleton to carry additional ID. More information about the Navajo Nation’s response can be found here.
Middleton reflects on the parallels between current events and historical injustices faced by his community, “It’s frustrating and sad listening to stories of people detained by ICE,” he said. “Knowing the history of the Navajo people and the Long Walk, there’s a lot of parallels that can be pointed out between now and then.”
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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