Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez learned ICE agents were arresting a family near her home in South Tucson the same way residents in Minneapolis do — through eyewitnesses sounding the alarm in real time.
Her neighbors alerted her to agents arresting a family of Venezuelan asylum seekers outside the Drachman Montessori K-8 Magnet School on Friday, which she called “reckless” and “unacceptable.”
It was just one of a series of incidents in recent days that ratcheted up worries that ICE raids are coming to the Old Pueblo, even as federal agents shot and killed a second person in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Those worries were already high after three DHS officials said the Trump administration had set its sights on Phoenix as the next Democratic-controlled city to target.
Earlier this month, federal agents went after day laborers in a Home Depot parking lot in Phoenix, the first such sweep of Trump’s second term. Last week, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said she’s seen a buildup of ICE agents and vehicles at the agency’s Phoenix office, which is right next door to her office.
The ramped-up immigration sweeps we all feared would come to Tucson started on Friday before dawn.
Hernandez said the three asylum seekers arrested Friday morning had legal status and, despite carrying their paperwork, ICE agents still took them away.
“These actions do not make our communities safer. They terrorize neighborhoods, tear families apart, and undermine public trust — especially when carried out by masked agents operating with no transparency or accountability,” Hernandez said.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover — who has urged Tucsonans in recent weeks not to mistake routine ICE activity for the massive immigration actions like those in Minneapolis — said in a news release on Friday that the reported ICE activity in Tucson was a stark departure from typical immigration-related enforcement.
“Some of the activity observed today looked nothing like what we are familiar with from our local law enforcement,” Conover said.
She urged residents with photographs or videos of potential “improper or illegal conduct” to reach out to her office.
“As you know, I get things right and not rushed. And I will continue not to rush to judgment. But neither will I tolerate illegal conduct if proof of it comes to me,” Conover said.
City of Tucson officials confirmed there were additional incidents with federal agents on Friday — including one in which agents approached a city employee and asked for his identification as he was leaving a convenience store on Tucson’s south side.
The city-branded vehicle the employee was using probably played a big role in ending the encounter without an arrest, Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure said in a statement.
“It is deeply concerning that our employee seems to have been randomly selected for questioning and that the only thing that may have spared him from a significant unwarranted interaction with these ICE officers is the fact that he was able to return to the vehicle which was clearly marked with the City of Tucson logo,” Thomure said.
Thomure was critical of the interaction, saying it doesn’t match up with the federal narrative of looking to apprehend violent criminals.
“This encounter does not align with what federal immigration agencies have stated previously that their enforcement is driven by criminal warrants targeting the ‘worst of the worst.’ In fact, this encounter appears to be nothing more than the selection of a random member of our community who met an unstated profile established by the current federal administration,” Thomure said.
Local elected officials — all Democrats — reacted quickly to news of the multiple incidents on Friday.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero posted public messages, in both English and Spanish, encouraging protesters to remain peaceful and not damage property. This is likely referencing property damage tied to protests in downtown Tucson following the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
“The Trump Administration wants to create fear and chaos in our community,” Romero said. “Please stay safe and do not physically engage with federal agents.”
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva told the Tucson Agenda on Friday she was growing increasingly concerned that Tucson could become a new target of the Trump administration.
It has been roughly a month since Grijalva was pepper-sprayed by federal agents during a raid of a west-side business, although officials said that incident was not a raid but the culmination of a multi-agency criminal investigation into a popular, locally owned Mexican restaurant chain.
Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen, wearing an “abolish ICE” T-shirt, went on social media to remind residents that protesting is a constitutionally protected right.
The current chair of the board encouraged people to document any “potentially unlawful activity” and report it using a website set up by Mayes.
The Tucson Police Department also issued a statement Saturday, reiterating its position that it will not enforce federal immigration laws, while adding it cannot disrupt ICE operations in Tucson.
The post also outlined steps to help residents differentiate between local police officers and ICE agents, whose uniforms often contain patches identifying them as “police.”
TPD officers will not wear masks and they will identify themselves upon request and wear gear clearly identifying them as members of the Tucson Police Department.
On Friday, Councilman Kevin Dahl posted the local number for the community rapid response team, a group of legal observers who are trained to gather evidence that will hold up in court, in his weekly newsletter.
It was the latest move by Tucson officials to prepare city residents for ramped-up ICE action.
Two weeks ago, the council launched a dedicated “know your rights” website and directed City Attorney Roi Lusk to draft an ordinance last week that would prohibit federal officials from operating on city-owned land.
Tucson lawmakers also acted — denouncing the federal agents who killed legal observer Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday.
The four top Democrats in the Arizona House — including Tucson Rep. Nancy Gutierrez — blamed the Trump administration for Pretti’s death.
"What happened on the streets of Minneapolis today with Alex Pretti, and earlier this month with Renee Good, were unjustified, lawless executions by a rogue masked federal secret police force answering to a madman in the White House,” the Democrats wrote.
Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Democrat from Goodyear, also introduced a bill banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks and requiring them to display badges or identification at all times — mirroring steps already taken by TPD.
It’s unclear whether such a state law would apply to federal agents, particularly after recent leaks of an internal memo telling ICE officers they do not need a warrant to forcibly enter a home, setting the stage for a Fourth Amendment legal battle.
While local officials spent the weekend talking about the right to protest, hundreds of Tucsonans were already exercising their First Amendment rights on Saturday.
Locals started pouring into downtown Tucson around 4 p.m., holding and waving signs outside the federal building, including ones that read “Stay salty, melt ICE” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Trump’s got to go.”
At one point, several nurses in the crowd ran into the street to render medical aid to a cyclist who crashed while reportedly arguing with activists. Others worked to block traffic to protect the man until police officers and firefighters arrived.
Another group, which gathered outside Freedom Park, marched to the ICE offices near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base before dispersing.
As you can see, we’re still in the early stages of ICE sweeps and how Tucson is responding to them. We’ll stay on top of what’s happening.
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The Democrats of Greater Tucson meet virtually today at noon. The guest speaker is Congressional District 1 candidate Jonathan Treble. You must register in advance here.
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting is offering a virtual training on using the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system today at 5:40 p.m. You can register here.
The Pima County Republican Club meets on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. at The Kettle just west of I-10 on 22nd St.
The Regional Transportation Authority has a public meeting on Tuesday with the Tucson Association of Realtors. The meeting at 2445 N. Tucson Blvd starts at 5:30 p.m.
The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness is conducting their annual Point in Time Count. You can register to volunteer here.
A barista’s drawing caused so much outrage last week that both Starbucks and the Tucson Police Officers Association felt compelled to issue statements about it.
A Tucson police officer stopped by a local Starbucks and noticed a drawing on her cup, which looked like a pig to her. As a police officer, she found that offensive and discarded the drink, per KVOA’s Jacob Owens.
The thing is, the barista who made the drawing couldn’t see who ordered it and Starbucks says it wasn’t a pig at all. It was a bear, which is a common joke in the “bearista” world.
