Arizona

At least 5 from Maine are in an Arizona ICE facility where a man died this week

Published

3 months ago

March 6, 2026

At least 5 from Maine are in an Arizona ICE facility where a man died this week

A federal immigration agent walks from a passenger van to a waiting bus in the back parking lot of Cabela’s in Scarborough on Jan. 20, 2026. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer)

At least five people detained in Maine by immigration agents during a January surge are being held at an Arizona facility where a Haitian man died this week of sepsis caused by an untreated tooth infection, according to his family.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not confirmed the death of Emmanuel Damas, who lived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, when he was detained last year. Damas’ brother told the Boston Globe he didn’t get proper medical attention in ICE custody, and Massachusetts’ U.S. senators have called for an investigation into what they believe was likely a “highly preventable” death.

ICE has reported nine other deaths of people in custody this year.

Concerns about the conditions at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center and other ICE facilities underscore that immigrants without criminal records, including some of those who were targeted in Maine, are spending more than a month in custody, often in prisons that were built for people convicted of crimes.

Marcos Gaspar-Da Silva, who has no criminal history and is in the process of applying for a green card, is one of the Maine detainees at the central Arizona facility. He’s been there for a month.

His wife, Alessia, is a U.S. citizen and said while Marcos is in a special part of the prison with more freedom than the general population, he’s sick from drinking the water and eating food that’s cooked in it. He’s having gastrointestinal problems and vomiting that seem to get better only when he avoids the water, she said.

“We’re trying to switch him to eating just enough to stay alive while we work on his case,” she said. “How is this where we’ve gotten in America?”

She’s also deeply concerned that Gaspar-Da Silva is developing a toothache.

STUCK FOR WEEKS

Isaac Nzau is surprised he’s still waiting for his friend to come home. Nzau leads a congregation at a Portland church and on Jan. 20, his assistant pastor was detained during a trip to the grocery store. He does not have a criminal record and works legally in the U.S. His attorneys asked that his name not be published because they fear that he will face retaliation for speaking out.

Not long after his friend was detained, Nzau and the church’s congregation said they deeply missed the assistant pastor, but they were hopeful that he would be back with them soon.

“Normally he’s all over the place during services — singing, praying, giving people rides to and from church,” said congregant Maria Cesar, her face lighting up. “He pours his heart out for people that need help.”

“Pray for God to have grace on him,” Nzau said during a Sunday service on Feb. 8. Congregants waved their hands.

A month later, their prayers have not been answered. The assistant pastor is still detained in Arizona as his attorneys face off with government lawyers about whether or not he should be released — proceedings that can take months to unfold.

Even before Damas’ death this week, immigrant advocates said conditions at the central Arizona prison are poor, although the company that runs the prison disputes those claims.

The facility had a measles outbreak in February. Viruses and a lack of access to medical care have been problems there for several years, said Liz Casey, a social worker at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, which provides free legal and social services to people who are detained in Arizona.

“With the increased enforcement and people being flown all over the country, going from facility to facility, that just increases the risk of infection,” Casey said.

CoreCivic operates the Arizona facility and many others where ICE is holding people.

“We take seriously our obligation to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards and will continue to ensure that all detainees receive appropriate and timely medical attention,” company spokesman Ryan Gustin said in an email. He declined to confirm Damas’ death.

He noted that CoreCivic has health care staff in the facility and coordinates with off-site providers and hospitals.

Casey’s group, the Florence Project, has filed complaints with the Department of Homeland Security alleging CoreCivic and ICE have violated detention standards. She’s visited detainees at the Arizona center and said the conditions there are “inhumane,” particularly for people who have chronic illnesses, disabilities and need specialty care.

This week’s death is the second at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center in the past year. In August, a detainee who had diabetes died after he contracted COVID-19.

Alessia Gaspar-Da Silva said that despite feeling sick, her husband Marcos’ time at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center has been better than at the temporary facilities where he was held in both that state and Louisiana. He told her those facilities were overcrowded and at times he had to use the bathroom in buckets and sleep on concrete floors without blankets.

During those frequent transfers in harsh conditions, Alessia said, immigration authorities tried to get her husband to agree to leave the country voluntarily.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, recently toured a facility in Massachusetts that held many of the “Operation Catch of the Day” detainees for their initial few days in custody. Attorneys allege it is “abysmal” and “unsanitary,” but Pingree said she did not witness those conditions on her visit.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment for this story. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The New York Times in February that for detainees in custody across the country, “This is the best health care that many aliens have received in their entire lives.”

IN SEARCH OF SAFETY

The other people at the Arizona facility who were taken into custody in Maine in January include the roommate of the assistant pastor in Portland, as well as Kimuena Jonathan Nguinamau, who was detained in Auburn, and Inacio Joao, who was detained in Lewiston, according to ICE’s online locator.

The assistant pastor has been applying for asylum, said his attorney Lauren Kousaie in Portland. He’s from the Democratic Republic of the Congo where a lengthy war has killed 6 million people. He left in 2022, “because he was a member of an opposition political party and was being persecuted by the Congolese government,” Kousaie said.

He made the difficult journey to the U.S. because he wanted to live in a place “that respects human rights,” she said.

The community he has established in Maine includes his work at the church, his assistance for people in the congregation, and a job at a restaurant in Falmouth.

Andrea Dibanza, who attends their church, said she tried to call him the morning he was detained. “He drove me everywhere, including to school,” she said. He didn’t pick up the phone.

Weeks later, the assistant pastor called Kousaie’s office from detention. In French, he told a paralegal that it felt like “torture just like we were in our home countries.”

By now, as dozens of other people detained in January have been released and returned to Maine, Alessia Gaspar Da-Silva said she feels like the public has forgotten about people like her husband, or that they believe he must have done something wrong to still be in custody.

But the legal system takes time, she said, and as the days grind on, “We’re still living it.”

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for May 29, 2026

Published

10 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for May 29, 2026

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Friday, May 29, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers

19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

2-7-1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

02-08-31-32-40

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

09-20-23-31-36-40

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
5 white balls = $1 million.
4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
4 white balls = $100.
3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
3 white balls = $7.
2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Arizona

Arizona GOP attorney general debate turns personal with insults, name-calling

Published

20 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Arizona GOP attorney general debate turns personal with insults, name-calling

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The two Republicans running for Arizona attorney general faced each other Thursday in a debate that devolved into insults and name-calling.

State Senate President Warren Petersen is running against military attorney Rodney Glassman in the Republican primary. The debate turned chaotic as the candidates clashed.

“Are you asking the questions, Steve?” Petersen said.

The moderator attempted to regain control. “Gentlemen, we’re going to reset,” he said.

Candidates clash over experience

The debate was the last before early voting begins next month. In between the name-calling, the two candidates argued over their resumes.

Glassman said Petersen does not have the legal experience for the job.

“Warren is just full of information, you can call them lies. He received his law license in December 2023, 28 months ago. He has never filed a lawsuit as a lawyer. He has never prosecuted a criminal as a lawyer,” Glassman said.

Petersen has had a law license for less than three years. He said he worked on cases in Scottsdale while earning his degree. Petersen said his experience as the current state Senate president also counts.

“I have done more in three years than Rodney Glassman will even get done in his life because he’s a trust fund baby who’s just looking for a place. He’s been running for 15 years and he’s lost six elections in a row,” Petersen said.

History of campaigns

Glassman has not won an elected office since he served as a Democrat on the Tucson City Council in 2007. Glassman is an Air Force attorney with 17 years of experience.

Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky said the real winner was the incumbent, Kris Mayes.

“I thought it was entertaining television. I’m glad Arizona got to see up close why these two individuals should be nowhere near the AG’s office,” Grodsky said.

Voting in the primary begins June 24.

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Arizona

Arizona’s ‘QAnon Shaman’ denounces ‘slush fund’ for Jan. 6 rioters

Published

1 day ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Arizona’s ‘QAnon Shaman’ denounces ‘slush fund’ for Jan. 6 rioters

The Arizona man known as the “QAnon Shaman” said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s new Anti-Weaponization Fund is an abuse of power by a would-be “king.”

Jacob Angeli-Chansley – the face of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot with his red, white and blue face paint and horned fur headdress – denounced the $1.776 billion program as a “slush fund” for Trump to reward his loyalists.

The Justice Department announced the fund on Monday as part of a settlement with Trump, who had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. The settlement included an assurance that the IRS will drop all audits and claims for back taxes against Trump, his family and businesses.

“You think I’m gonna take a f—ing dime from Trump and the government after he’s using this thing to cover him and his family in perpetuity for all of their crimes?” he told Cronkite News by phone. “You think I’m gonna take a dime of that blood money?”

Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who participated in the Jan. 6 riot the day he returned to the White House in January 2025. Many had been convicted of assaulting police officers.

Cronkite News reached out to 17 of those defendants with Arizona ties. None besides Angeli-Chansley responded.

Thirteen were convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes related to the attack. Four of the cases were dismissed after the pardon. The charges included assault on federal agents, physical violence at the Capitol and seditious conspiracy.

See our previous coverage of the Anti-Weaponization Fund and “QAnon Shaman” in the video player above.

Angeli-Chansley pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. He served 27 months of a 41-month sentence. He was released from federal prison in March 2023.

During the riot, he carried an American flag fastened to a spear and used a bullhorn to call other rioters to the dais in the Senate chamber.

“He stated that ‘Mike Pence is a f—-ing traitor’ and wrote a note on available paper on the dais, stating, ‘It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming,’” according to prosecutors.

At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the compensation fund, saying it will be open to anyone victimized by a politically motivated prosecution, not just Jan. 6 defendants.

“It’s not limited to Republicans. … It’s not limited to the Biden weaponization. It’s not limited to, in any way scope or form, January 6 or to (targets of special counsel) Jack Smith. There’s no limitation on the claims,” Blanche said.

He rejected Democrats’ assertions that the fund is a massive, taxpayer-funded attempt by Trump to whitewash the assault on democracy.

“I think it’s telling that everybody on the left and … the liberal side of the media immediately says it’s a slush fund for President Trump’s friends,” Blanche said. “If anything else, that’s an outright admission that they know that the people that really had this Department of Justice weaponized against them were President Trump and his friends. But … that is not what the AG order that I signed yesterday says.”

Blanche, who served as Trump’s private attorney in several cases – prosecutions over election interference and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and allegations of hush money paid to an adult actress ahead of the 2016 election – faced strong criticism from Senate Democrats.

“You are acting today like the president’s personal attorney and that’s the whole problem,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who also noted that a huge banner with Trump’s portrait was draped over the front of the Department of Justice building in February.

At a homeland security committee meeting Tuesday, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego called for legislation barring establishment of a fund of the sort proposed by the Trump administration.

He called it outrageous to provide compensation to “traitors who attacked the Capitol.”

“No president, Republican or Democrat, should be able to use the federal treasury as a personal checkbook,” he said.

Angeli-Chansley now refers to himself as the “American Shaman.” He was heavily involved in the QAnon movement, which centered on a conspiracy theory that Trump was fighting a cabal of Satan worshippers who engage in child sex trafficking.

He was a strong MAGA supporter when the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, interrupting congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

Angeli-Chansley has since become disenchanted with Trump. He has also repudiated the QAnon movement.

In a rambling phone conversation with Cronkite News, he repeatedly cited Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting federal trial for trafficking young women and girls for sex.

He reiterated his anger with Trump for resisting the release of the Epstein files.

And he criticized Trump for attacking Iran and supporting Israel, among other things.

Angeli-Chansley sued Trump for $40 trillion in September 2025, asserting he is the true leader of the free world and vowing to use the sum to wipe out the national debt. The lawsuit was dismissed. He later filed a lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, World Bank and others in Maricopa County.

He urged fellow Jan. 6ers to “reject that … money.”

If courts allow the fund to operate, Angeli-Chansley said, it would mean that Trump “can do whatever it is that he wants.”