ICYMI: AZ’s three public universities quietly dismantled DEI programs over the past year, following threats from the federal government to cut funds. When AZCIR asked what changed and how, officials declined interviews, records requests and ignored detailed questions.
azcir.org/news/2026/04...
We requested records and interviews with ASU, NAU and UA to talk about campus changes, but did't get any information. Read our latest to learn about the changes we could identify, and the broad lack of transparency.
azcir.org/news/2026/04...
ICYMI: Arizona universities haven't been transparent about what they've changed to comply with federal guidance about DEI. To one professor at UA, decisions being made behind closed doors sends the message that "this isn’t your university anymore. This isn’t a community."
Arizona’s three public universities quietly dismantled DEI programs over the past year, following threats from the federal government to cut funding. When AZCIR asked what changed and how, officials declined interviews, denied records requests and ignored detailed questions.
tinyurl.com/55yn7ku2
ICYMI: “The idea that we are a place where everybody has to carry their papers is not American,” said Annie Lai, immigrant rights attorney. “That’s not the kind of country that I think a lot of people think we should be.”
Our latest, via @allymarkovich.bsky.social
azcir.org/news/2026/03...
“This is a move to turn the clock back to a narrower version of who belongs in America”
Our latest, via @allymarkovich.bsky.social
azcir.org/news/2026/03...
Federal agents in southwest Arizona are now ticketing legal immigrants for not carrying their documents under a 1952 law that’s been rarely enforced for decades. Among those cited are a Canadian green card holder walking to breakfast and an international student at a truck stop.
ICYMI: Nearly three years after AZ Medicaid officials publicly acknowledged a massive fraud scandal targeting Native Americans, the fraud continues and Indigenous residents are still getting exploited by bad actors:
azcir.org/news/2026/02...
NEW: Arizona says the worst of its Medicaid behavioral health fraud crisis is over. But nearly 3 years later, questionable sober living homes are still recruiting Indigenous community members, AZCIR's @jasminedemers.bsky.social has found. azcir.org/news/2026/02...
ICYMI: Republican lawmakers are advancing a new wave of legislation targeting abortion in Arizona, even after a judge struck down several existing restrictions and affirmed voters’ 2024 decision to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
azcir.org/news/2026/02...
NEW: A Maricopa County judge recently struck down several AZ abortion restrictions as unconstitutional. But more than a dozen new bills with implications for abortion access remain in play at the Capitol.
From medication abortion to fetal personhood, here’s a closer look: azcir.org/news/2026/02...
Welcome to all of our new followers! We're grateful you're here. If you want to be the first to know about our latest investigations, or get insider background about how our reporters do what they do, sign up for our free, semi-regular newsletter.
azcir.org/newsletter/
Amid rumors of increased ICE enforcement in AZ, I want to hear from students and staff at colleges and universities about the vibe on campus and what, if anything, schools are saying about potential ICE visits. Read my latest update and reach out: mailchi.mp/azcir.org/ic...
We wish it weren’t necessary to say that the federal government’s arrest of journalists for reporting on a public event violates the First Amendment’s protection for freedom of the press.
Last week, AZCIR reporter @allymarkovich.bsky.social joined @kjzz.org to discuss her reporting from Ukraine — and how drone technology tested there is reshaping surveillance and enforcement along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Listen to the full interview here: www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...
There are still several slots available for this essential training. It's free to attend, and increasingly important in today's reporting landscape. DM if want to hear more, registration link below (deadline 1/15), for training on 1/26.
We traveled to the Ukraine-Slovakia border with @azcir.org's @allymarkovich.bsky.social to document how the Ukrainian border guard uses surveillance drones to ensure no one is exiting the country to avoid the draft.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=srcK...
ICYMI: Prop. 139 won majority support in every Arizona district, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Instead of adjusting course, GOP lawmakers pushed new abortion restrictions, reporter @adriana-navarro.bsky.social found—with more coming this session: azcir.org?p=35084
Here it is! My first story with @azcir.org. When I saw AZ lawmakers had introduced laws that would restrict abortion access, I wondered if their actions reflected how their districts voted for Prop. 139. I found it didn't: Each LD voted in favor of the right to abortion care.
NEW: Prop. 139 won majority support in every Arizona district, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Instead of adjusting course, GOP lawmakers pushed new abortion restrictions, reporter Adriana Navarro found—with more coming this session: azcir.org?p=35084
3 years after AZ voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students through Prop 308, it’s unclear how many have actually benefited. The state had no centralized system to oversee the law's rollout or ensure consistent implementation, AZCIR found.
Read our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/01...
It's the last day of our Newsmatch campaign, and we need your help to trigger matching funds by raising another $2,500. Will you help us get there? All donations are double-matched, and new monthly recurring gifts are double-matched at their 12-month value!
azcir.fundjournalism.org/newsmatch-20...
We're thrilled to co-host the first 2025 IWMF Newsroom Safety Across America Initiative in Phoenix next month. The safety and security training is free for all freelance and staff reporters. Sign up here: t.co/FUwdg4oRm0 (registration deadline is 1/15/26).
VIDEO: In Ukraine, drones have become essential for warfare and border surveillance. Now, those tools and tactics are being deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border. AZCIR traveled to Ukraine to document how “battle-tested” drones are reshaping American border enforcement.
azcir.org/news/2025/12...
ICYMI: Ukraine has become an epicenter of drone warfare and a global proving ground for defense companies. Tech “battle-tested” in Ukraine is now showing up here, accelerating militarization along the U.S border with Mexico while outpacing oversight.
Our latest, w/video:
azcir.org/news/2025/12...
Drones “battle-tested” in Ukraine are now being piloted at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the boundaries between local police and military operations are becoming increasingly blurred.
Reported from Ukraine by AZCIR in collaboration w/ @appalachia100.bsky.social. Supported by IWMF.
We know we can't do this work without you. Donate now and help power more accountability reporting in Arizona. #GivingTuesday azcir.fundjournalism.org/newsmatch-20...
