Arizona

In their own words, new U.S. citizens in Arizona look to voting in 2024

Published

2 years ago

January 2, 2024

In their own words, new U.S. citizens in Arizona look to voting in 2024

It was a very proud moment for Nilesh Patel.

“It’s the happiest day of my life,” he said, walking out of the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix earlier this month.

Patel, who emigrated from India nearly a decade ago, had just finished participating in a naturalization ceremony — officially making him an American citizen. And after the ceremony, down the hall from the courtroom, he was able to register to vote.

“[The] U.S. has given a lot to us,” said Patel’s wife, Hatel Patel, who is already a citizen. “I’ve been serving back, now he will get more chances as well.”

Grace Widyatmadja/NPR

And serving back, she says, means voting.

New Arizona voters like Nilesh Patel are registering in a state that next year has key congressional races and could play a crucial role in the presidential election. And many new voters see their eligibility to participate in elections as an impactful and exciting responsibility.

“One of our greatest rights, especially for new citizens, is the power to vote,” said Jeanette Senecal with the nonprofit League of Women Voters, which has reported registering nearly 48,000 new citizens to vote this year at naturalization ceremonies around the country.

In fiscal year 2022, nearly 1 million Americans became naturalized citizens, according to federal data — the highest level in 15 years.

“We want to see every eligible voter registered and turning out to vote,” Senecal said, adding, “It is really important to invite new voices in to ensure we have a representative democracy.”

But becoming a coveted voting bloc that political campaigns seek out is a different step.

“The [likelihood] of a campaign spending money to target [new citizens] and get them to vote is low,” said Arizona Democratic strategist Tony Valdovinos, who’s a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

He told NPR it often takes years to go from being a registered voter to a reliable voter that campaigns target.

In their own words

NPR attended two recent naturalization ceremonies in Phoenix and spoke with new citizens and their families about what it means to them to be able to vote.

Grace Widyatmadja/NPR

Karen Perez

It’s hard to miss Karen Perez as she walks out of the courtroom wearing a sequined American flag dress.

“Can you see all the flag?” she joked.

Perez, who is from Venezuela, registered and plans to vote next year. When she thinks about issues that are top of mind, immigration is a priority.

“The treatment of immigrants, no matter what country they are from, Central America, Latin America, from the East,” she said in Spanish, “because sometimes some rights are very difficult.”

For Perez, voting is a duty as a U.S. citizen.

“It is deciding my destiny, and because I am now an American citizen, then it’s also the destiny of the nation,” she said. “You do select a president that could rebuild or create a better country for the United States. That’s why you have to vote because if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”

Grace Widyatmadja/NPR

Adam Modzelewski

It was hard for Adam Modzelewski to contain his emotions when he finally received his certificate during the ceremony. Originally from Poland, he waited over 20 years to become a citizen.

“That’s why I had tears in my eyes,” he said, surrounded by his family.

He told NPR he’s eager to cast his ballot next year.

“I’m hoping finally people [are] going to wake up and start looking somewhere else than [the] Democrat[ic] Party. They [are] not helping nobody,” he said.

He’s disappointed with President Biden’s first term and plans to focus on the Republican candidates and see how the primary field progresses.

“I hope we can make a change,” he said.

Grace Widyatmadja/NPR

Olga Aguerra

Olga Aguerra hadn’t yet taken her citizenship test when she decided to buy a ‘USA’ T-shirt at a clothing store.

“I bought it regardless of if I passed or not,” she told NPR in Spanish outside the courthouse. “But now I’ll wear it because I’m proud to live in this country and to be a part of this country.”

Aguerra registered to vote that day. At 53, she’s spent more of her life in the U.S. than in her home country of Mexico.

Thinking about next year, she believes her vote can make an impact. “It’s a little grain of sand within many, many people,” Aguerra said, adding, “You can make a difference.”

“We told her right away … to go register,” said her younger sister, Nancy Tafolla, who became a citizen as a child. “We all live here, and I feel like we all have a voice.”

Grace Widyatmadja/NPR

Brayan Vazquez

For new citizen Brayan Vazquez, thinking about elections isn’t new.

“As a former not only immigrant but undocumented person in the United States, politics have been, you know, overall something that you cannot avoid,” said Vazquez.

Now, registering to vote is a priority for him.

“I think now, for many years, we say, ‘be my vote,’ telling friends and relatives, vote for my interests,” he said. “Now I get the opportunity to really vote for my own interests.”

NPR’s Ximena Bustillo contributed to this report.

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Arizona

Fruit-flavored cocaine being sold to young people, Arizona official warns

Published

10 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Fruit-flavored cocaine being sold to young people, Arizona official warns

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona’s attorney general is sounding the alarm over a new illegal drug being marketed toward kids and young women.

The Attorney General’s Office says law enforcement agencies in Arizona are seeing an increase of fruit-flavored cocaine in the illegal drug market.

Attorney General Kris Mayes says dealers are marketing the flavored drug toward younger people and women, attempting to lure new users to using cocaine.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is issuing a warning of fruit-flavored cocaine being marketed to young people.(Arizona Attorney General’s Office)

Mayes said the drug is being sold in flavors like piña colada, strawberry, coconut and banana, which may appeal to children. She added that illegal drugs like cocaine often contain the deadly drug fentanyl.

“We want everyone to stay safe and avoid the harms that come from using illegal drugs,” Mayes said.

The warning from the AG’s office comes after a man was sentenced in Pima County last month for selling fruit-flavored cocaine.

A release from Mayes’ office says that on July 17, Jaden Alfredo Covarrubias sold about 1.55 pounds of cocaine to another person after advertising his access to coconut, strawberry and banana flavored forms. Mayes said Covarrubias offered to sell the drugs on social media platforms like WhatsApp.

Jaden Alfredo Covarrubias was setenced to 1.75 years in prison and ordered to pay fines after... — Jaden Alfredo Covarrubias was setenced to 1.75 years in prison and ordered to pay fines after selling fruit-flavored cocaine in Pima County.(Arizona Attorney General’s Office)

Covarrubias was sentenced on Nov. 24 to 1.75 years in prison. He was ordered to pay $4,500 to the State Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund and $300 for investigative costs to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

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Arizona

Volunteer pilots bring Santa, gifts to Title I schools on Utah-Arizona border

Published

22 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Volunteer pilots bring Santa, gifts to Title I schools on Utah-Arizona border

COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Santa Claus traded his sleigh for small planes Wednesday as 20 volunteer pilots from Angel Flight West’s Utah wing flew hundreds of miles to deliver Christmas gifts and school supplies to two Title I schools on the Utah-Arizona border.

The annual “Santa Flight” brought toys, winter coats, backpacks and more than 500 books donated by PBS Utah to about 500 students from Water Canyon Elementary in Hildale, Utah, and Cottonwood Elementary in Colorado City, Arizona. The schools gathered at the Colorado City airport to greet Santa, Mrs. Claus, some elves and the pilots.

“Well, this is just excitement,” said Brad Jolley, principal at Water Canyon Elementary in Hildale. “I mean, you look at the faces of the kids, you see smiles, and just a great opportunity, great atmosphere.”

“This is the first time that our two schools in our valley have come together and done an activity,” said Natalie Hammon, principal at Cottonwood Elementary in Colorado City. “So Santa Flight has really helped us unite our valley and let our two schools work together for a great cause.”

The donations were made possible by community groups and sponsors, including the John C. Kish Foundation, Bank of Utah and the Leavitt Group. Lou Rossi, Utah Wing leader for Angel Flight West, said the effort reflects the generosity of pilots and donors during a tough economic time.

Angel Flight West is best known for providing free air transportation for patients traveling long distances for medical care. Volunteer pilot Steve Booth said the holiday mission is just one way to give back.

“For somebody that might need a four- or five-hour car ride after a cancer treatment, a 45 (-minute) or one-hour flight just makes a huge, huge difference in their life,” Booth said.

The Santa Flight tradition began in 2000 and rotates among rural schools each year.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Arizona

Arizona State men’s basketball cruises past NAU for 8th win

Published

2 days ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

Arizona State men’s basketball cruises past NAU for 8th win

The Arizona State Sun Devils were looking to improve on the win they chalked up three days ago against Oklahoma. They did, sort of.

ASU added a 73-48 win over visiting Northern Arizona on Dec. 9 at Desert Financial Arena for its fifth win in the last six outings.

Defense has been the team’s focus in the last two weeks, and that showed as the Sun Devils (8-2) held their opponent to a season-low point total. Coach Bobby Hurley said the team’s goal was to hold the Lumberjacks (4-5) to under 49 points. Mission accomplished there.

ASU shot 50% 26-for-52) for the game, with an even split, 15-for-30 in the first and 11-for-22 in the second half. NAU shot 33.3% (17-for-51), which included a 5-for-26 from long distance.

What went right

Got scoring punch from the bench: ASU is 8-0 when getting more points from its bench than the opponent, and 0-2 when it does not. In this one, it wasn’t even close as the Sun Devils had a significant advantage here, 33-3. Allen Mukeba had 10, Anthony “Pig” Johnson nine, and Marcus Adams 8.

Rebounded better: This is an area where the Sun Devils have made noticeable strides in the last two games, and this was an opponent ASU should have bested on the board because it was one of the few where they have had a size advantage. The Sun Devils won the battle 41-15, with a 10-4 edge on the offensive glass and a 31-21 advantage on the defensive boards. Santiago Trout had eight, with Mukeba, Andrija Grbovic, and Massamba Diop each collecting six.

Used inside presence: The 7-0 freshman Diop had a career-high 19 points on an 8-for-10 showing from the field. Hurley said his team didn’t go to him enough

What went wrong

A few too many turnovers: ASU had 13, which is too many against a .500 foe. NAU had 10 steals, and it wasn’t exactly pressuring the ball. It was the area in which Hurley was most disappointed. Diop had four. The Sun Devils were fortunate NAU only manufactured 12 points off those turnovers. NAU also had 13 turnovers, and ASU scored 23 points off those.

A bit sluggish in the first half: ASU ended the first half up 35-26. It was up 11-2, then faltered a bit, and the Lumberjacks actually went ahead 14-13 with 10:40 left in the half.

Personnel notes

ASU has used the same starting lineup for all 10 games this season. A total of 10 athletes entered the game and all of them scored. The last person to score was Moe Odum, who came in averaging 18.9 points per game. His only two points came at the line with 30 seconds left.

Up next

The Sun Devils are back on the road for another neutral site game, the fifth of the season. ASU will square off with Santa Clara (8-2) in the Jack Jones Hoop Hall Classic at 5 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. ASU is 3-1 in neutral-site games while the Broncos are 1-1.

The teams played last season with ASU prevailing 81-74.

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