Arizona’s 7th District House Race: Who Will Win

Civil rights leader and labor organizer Dolores Huerta died Wednesday at age 96. Co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, Huerta coined the rallying cry "Sí, se puede!" during a 1972 Phoenix protest against an anti-labor law and spent decades advocating for farmworkers, women, and civil rights, including later campaigns against SB1070 and for the Equal Rights Amendment.

Arizona officials across parties and government, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Greg Stanton and Adelita Grijalva, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and Councilmember Betty Guardado, praised her lasting influence on the state and nation. A candlelight vigil was held outside Phoenix City Hall in her honor.

A new state audit has intensified debate over Arizona's Parents as Paid Caregivers program, which pays parents to care for children with severe disabilities. Auditors found the state could have saved up to half a billion dollars in fiscal year 2026 had officials fully implemented cost-control measures required under a 2025 law, including a new assessment tool that Gov. Katie Hobbs suspended amid threatened litigation from advocacy groups.

The program's costs have surged as it expanded from covering adult children to minors during the pandemic; related attendant-care spending rose from $77 million in 2019 to nearly $615 million in 2025, with the parent caregiver program driving much of the increase. About 8,800 children now receive parent-provided care, up from roughly 3,469 in 2023.

Republican lawmakers, including Rep. David Livingston and Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, call the program "out-of-control" and want deeper cuts, while Hobbs' office and disability advocates warn that reducing hours could force children into costlier institutional or foster care. A legislative hearing is expected early next year.

Growing delays in DACA renewal processing are creating uncertainty for recipients nationwide, including an estimated 16,000 in Arizona. Federal data show the median wait for renewals rose to roughly 70 days between October and February, up from about 15 days previously, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reporting more than 200,000 pending applications, the highest number on record. Immigration attorneys say processing has become unpredictable, with some later filers receiving approvals before earlier applicants.

The delays carry real stakes: recipients whose work authorization lapses while awaiting renewal lose both employment eligibility and protection from removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security says more than 260 DACA recipients have been detained and more than 80 deported. A Tucson immigration judge's recent ruling allowing a case against a DACA recipient to proceed has further unsettled recipients and advocates, who say the program's protections feel less certain than before, even for those who have maintained status for years.

A federal judge in Arizona has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the return of Ahmed Soliman, 31, a Phoenix man deported to Equatorial Guinea in April without due process. District Judge John C. Hinderaker found the third-country removal violated U.S. law and Soliman's Fifth Amendment rights, citing "irreparable harm" after months of arbitrary detention, beatings, threats, and incommunicado confinement. DHS must take "all reasonable steps," including issuing travel documents and arranging transport at its own expense, and file status reports every three days. DHS attorneys did not dispute Soliman's account of abuse or that he was deported without a fear screening. The agency has 30 days to appeal.

Soliman, granted protection from removal to Egypt as a gay man, was targeted after speaking out about conditions facing dozens of U.S. deportees held at a decommissioned hotel in Equatorial Guinea under a secretive $7.5 million U.S.-brokered agreement. His case echoes that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and feeds into an ongoing Supreme Court dispute over third-country deportation protections, with more than 20 others still detained at the hotel.

The Arizona Sheriffs' Association (ASA) sent an Oct. 9 open letter expressing "deep concern" over allegations that Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway directed deputies not to respond to calls tied to protests at border wall construction sites, except in cases involving violence. The ASA cited reports from federal and state law enforcement officials describing unanswered requests for assistance involving threats, violence, property damage, and masked out-of-state participants, calling for documentation and investigation.

The dispute centers on CBP's $309.46 million contract, awarded in June 2025, to build 27 miles of border wall in Santa Cruz County, part of the Trump administration's border security push, which has drawn repeated protests and arrests. Hathaway, in response, dismissed the ASA as a politically biased private group with no governmental authority, saying his small office is vastly outnumbered by federal personnel and accusing CBP of mischaracterizing threats to avoid its own security responsibilities. He described protesters as nonviolent and said federal officers, not protesters, used force. The ASA said it stands ready to assist state investigators if asked.

The U.S. State Department issued a security alert for Mexicali, Mexico, suspending government travel and consular services in the border city over an unspecified "potential threat." The alert has unsettled communities along the Arizona-Mexico border, even as conditions at nearby ports of entry, including San Luis, remained calm and normal.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the warning, based on U.S. intelligence, involves a potential criminal group, though details remain vague from both governments. The U.S. is advising citizens in or traveling to Mexicali to avoid government buildings, seek shelter if an incident occurs, and notify family of their safety. Border residents with family in Mexicali reported anxiety and difficulty reaching relatives, while some travelers noted increased military and law enforcement presence on the Arizona side. As of Tuesday evening, the alert had not disrupted crossings in Arizona or California, with officials monitoring the situation closely.

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton met on CNN for a debate ahead of California's Nov. 3 gubernatorial election, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The exchange was widely panned as lackluster, with both candidates drawing criticism for weak performances. Becerra, the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, repeated claims that he has "fought all my life to defend immigrants," a record critics dispute given his quiet stance during the Obama administration's deportation policies. He also accused Hilton of wanting to "welcome immigrants who look like you, but deport immigrants who look like me," a remark Hilton called "disgraceful."

Hilton, a former Fox News host who received Donald Trump's primary endorsement, avoided directly answering whether he'd direct state law enforcement to assist federal immigration enforcement. Polling from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows Becerra with a substantial lead and more favorable overall ratings than Hilton heading into the final weeks of the race.

A recent Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton with support from 37% of California voters, trailing Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, who holds 55%. About 7% remain undecided. The two are set to meet in their first debate on September 30 in Los Angeles, televised on CNN, which could shift the current standing.

Hilton, a former strategist for ex-British Prime Minister David Cameron and a Brexit supporter, has never held elected office and only became a U.S. citizen in 2021 after relocating to California in 2012. He has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, whose immigration policies contrast with Hilton's own background as the son of Hungarian refugees. Despite trailing significantly, Hilton is seen as outperforming typical Republican prospects in heavily Democratic California, where registered Republicans make up about 25% of voters compared to 45% who are Democrats. Polling could shift meaningfully once debate performances are factored in.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino in federal court, seeking to force Abbott to sign extradition paperwork for ICE agent Christian Castro. This follows a judge's earlier denial of Minnesota's request for a restraining order to keep Castro jailed in Texas amid the extradition dispute. Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime after a January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, with surveillance video contradicting his account. Minnesota's suit argues the nearly three-month delay is unlawful and unusual, noting past extraditions between the states were typically resolved within about 30 days, and cites a 1987 Supreme Court ruling requiring states to honor extradition requests. Abbott, facing reelection, has not commented on the pending matter. Texas law caps fugitive detention at 90 days, making Castro eligible for release around August 26. The Justice Department is reportedly weighing separate federal charges.

A federal judge has temporarily halted construction of the Trump administration's border wall in Texas' Big Bend region, a win for landowners who have resisted the $46 billion national project. Plaintiffs argued the administration bypassed regulations in pushing forward; the government has asked the judge to set aside her order while it appeals. Customs and Border Protection says it has built more than 260 miles of barrier under the second Trump administration and plans to spend $7.5 billion fortifying roughly 500 miles of border in Big Bend, where construction began in September.

Ranchers and other property owners have refused survey access, protested at county meetings, lobbied officials against aiding contractors, and are preparing for eminent domain fights. Opposition spans party lines, including a Republican sheriff and Trump voters who say rugged terrain and low crossing numbers make the wall unnecessary there. CBP says it continues pursuing voluntary agreements and will compensate landowners regardless of how access is obtained, while also retaining eminent domain attorneys in anticipation of disputes. The standoff has become a broader test of federal authority over private land.