Emily Bregel
@emilybregel.bsky.social
Border/immigration reporter
Arizona Daily Star
ebregel@tucson.com
On Signal: emdashbregs.28
Arizona Daily Star
ebregel@tucson.com
On Signal: emdashbregs.28
Pinned
Emily Bregel
@emilybregel.bsky.social
· Nov 12
I'm Emily Bregel, border/immigration reporter for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson 👋 I welcome tips, story ideas, complaints and/or greetings! Send to ebregel(at)tucson(dot)com
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Undocumented immigrants in Tucson say they’ve been balancing fear with continuing to live their lives. “If I’m gonna lead this life afraid, it’s not living,” said Anabel, 36. “I have to live. I have to work. ... I can’t stop my life and my kids’ life.” @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tucson's undocumented families balance fear with continuing to live life
For Star subscribers: In Tucson, Trump's mass-deportation campaign hasn't reached the scale of those in larger cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago, but increased immigration-enforcement here ...
tucson.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Undocumented immigrants in Tucson say they’ve been balancing fear with continuing to live their lives. “If I’m gonna lead this life afraid, it’s not living,” said Anabel, 36. “I have to live. I have to work. ... I can’t stop my life and my kids’ life.” @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
A good man.
"Vone, who has a doctorate in physical therapy, has worked in the field for more than 20 yrs. He's known by friends and clients as a devoted, talented caregiver ... That was even the case at Eloy, where he said he helped treat fellow detainees who were struggling with mobility."
"Vone, who has a doctorate in physical therapy, has worked in the field for more than 20 yrs. He's known by friends and clients as a devoted, talented caregiver ... That was even the case at Eloy, where he said he helped treat fellow detainees who were struggling with mobility."
A longtime Tucson physical therapist has been deported to Laos, the country he fled with family at age 6 in the 1970s. Vone Phrommany, 53, said he's arrived at a distant relative's home following five days of exhausting travel, while shackled at the wrists and ankles. tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tucson physical therapist deported to Laos after multiple, 'chaotic' flights
For Star subscribers: A longtime Tucson physical therapist has been deported to Laos after spending three months at the Eloy Detention Center.
tucson.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
A good man.
"Vone, who has a doctorate in physical therapy, has worked in the field for more than 20 yrs. He's known by friends and clients as a devoted, talented caregiver ... That was even the case at Eloy, where he said he helped treat fellow detainees who were struggling with mobility."
"Vone, who has a doctorate in physical therapy, has worked in the field for more than 20 yrs. He's known by friends and clients as a devoted, talented caregiver ... That was even the case at Eloy, where he said he helped treat fellow detainees who were struggling with mobility."
Reposted by Emily Bregel
In interviews in villages on Venezuela's northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists. n.pr/484kIIb
Trump says boat crews are narco-terrorists. The truth is more nuanced, AP finds
In interviews in villages on Venezuela's northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists.
n.pr
November 8, 2025 at 6:15 PM
In interviews in villages on Venezuela's northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists. n.pr/484kIIb
Reposted by Emily Bregel
For Star subscribers: The death of three UA students in a crosswalk was a shocking example of what's been going on for years. About 100 people have died in traffic
Tim Steller's column: Time for drastic action on Tucson's traffic safety
For Star subscribers: The death of three UA students in a crosswalk was a shocking example of what's been going on for years. About 100 people have died in traffic
tucson.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:17 PM
For Star subscribers: The death of three UA students in a crosswalk was a shocking example of what's been going on for years. About 100 people have died in traffic
Undocumented immigrants in Tucson say they’ve been balancing fear with continuing to live their lives. “If I’m gonna lead this life afraid, it’s not living,” said Anabel, 36. “I have to live. I have to work. ... I can’t stop my life and my kids’ life.” @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tucson's undocumented families balance fear with continuing to live life
For Star subscribers: In Tucson, Trump's mass-deportation campaign hasn't reached the scale of those in larger cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago, but increased immigration-enforcement here ...
tucson.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Undocumented immigrants in Tucson say they’ve been balancing fear with continuing to live their lives. “If I’m gonna lead this life afraid, it’s not living,” said Anabel, 36. “I have to live. I have to work. ... I can’t stop my life and my kids’ life.” @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
A longtime Tucson physical therapist has been deported to Laos, the country he fled with family at age 6 in the 1970s. Vone Phrommany, 53, said he's arrived at a distant relative's home following five days of exhausting travel, while shackled at the wrists and ankles. tucson.com/news/local/s...
Tucson physical therapist deported to Laos after multiple, 'chaotic' flights
For Star subscribers: A longtime Tucson physical therapist has been deported to Laos after spending three months at the Eloy Detention Center.
tucson.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A longtime Tucson physical therapist has been deported to Laos, the country he fled with family at age 6 in the 1970s. Vone Phrommany, 53, said he's arrived at a distant relative's home following five days of exhausting travel, while shackled at the wrists and ankles. tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
The Trump administration alleges the boats targeted by recent U.S. strikes were being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members. The AP identified four of the men who were on the boats—and found the truth is far more nuanced.
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM
The Trump administration alleges the boats targeted by recent U.S. strikes were being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members. The AP identified four of the men who were on the boats—and found the truth is far more nuanced.
Reposted by Emily Bregel
NEW: Even the FBI thinks unidentified masked ICE agents is a bad idea. @dell.bsky.social and @carolinehaskins.bsky.social with the scoop. No paywall bc FOIA: www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
www.wired.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:31 PM
NEW: Even the FBI thinks unidentified masked ICE agents is a bad idea. @dell.bsky.social and @carolinehaskins.bsky.social with the scoop. No paywall bc FOIA: www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability
The arrest of Dayanne Figueroa highlights growing concerns about the use of force against U.S. citizens and due process. She was released after a few hours without charges.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Yesterday I went on @kjzz.org to discuss my story on a Syrian man detained for 2+ years at Eloy, despite being granted "withholding of removal" to Syria in '24. In Sept. DHS tried to deport him to Venezuela but officials in the airport there wouldn't accept him. Listen: www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...
Syrian man being held in an Arizona detention center could be sent to a third country
Kamel Maklad fled the civil war in Syria and went to Venezuela. When he had to leave there, he crossed the border from Mexico into Arizona in 2023. He's been held in detention ever since.
www.kjzz.org
October 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Yesterday I went on @kjzz.org to discuss my story on a Syrian man detained for 2+ years at Eloy, despite being granted "withholding of removal" to Syria in '24. In Sept. DHS tried to deport him to Venezuela but officials in the airport there wouldn't accept him. Listen: www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
A Syrian man has been detained at Eloy for more than 2 years. Last month the U.S. tried to deport him to Venezuela; he spent about 30 minutes in a Venezuelan airport before officials there turned him back, saying they'd never agreed to accept him. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Syrian man held by ICE in Arizona for 2 years now faces third-country removal
For Star subscribers: Kamel Maklad has been held in immigration detention in Arizona for more than two years. Last month the Trump administration tried to deport him to Venezuela.
tucson.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:52 PM
A Syrian man has been detained at Eloy for more than 2 years. Last month the U.S. tried to deport him to Venezuela; he spent about 30 minutes in a Venezuelan airport before officials there turned him back, saying they'd never agreed to accept him. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
A Syrian man has been detained at Eloy for more than 2 years. Last month the U.S. tried to deport him to Venezuela; he spent about 30 minutes in a Venezuelan airport before officials there turned him back, saying they'd never agreed to accept him. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Syrian man held by ICE in Arizona for 2 years now faces third-country removal
For Star subscribers: Kamel Maklad has been held in immigration detention in Arizona for more than two years. Last month the Trump administration tried to deport him to Venezuela.
tucson.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:52 PM
A Syrian man has been detained at Eloy for more than 2 years. Last month the U.S. tried to deport him to Venezuela; he spent about 30 minutes in a Venezuelan airport before officials there turned him back, saying they'd never agreed to accept him. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Phenomenal investigative reporting from @emilybregel.bsky.social in the Arizona Daily Star:
'Hell on earth': DHS mass-detention net ensnares more non-criminals
Seventy-one percent of those held in ICE detention have no criminal convictions. Trump's mass-detention net is ensnaring long-time residents with deep community ties, as well as those with valid work
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Phenomenal investigative reporting from @emilybregel.bsky.social in the Arizona Daily Star:
Despite having no criminal record and a valid work permit, Cielo was arrested during a February immigration operation at his home and spent seven months in detention. He's one of the thousands of non-criminals swept up in Trump's expanding mass-detention net. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
'Hell on earth': DHS mass-detention net ensnares more non-criminals
Seventy-one percent of those held in ICE detention have no criminal convictions. Trump's mass-detention net is ensnaring long-time residents with deep community ties, as well as those with valid work
tucson.com
October 12, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Despite having no criminal record and a valid work permit, Cielo was arrested during a February immigration operation at his home and spent seven months in detention. He's one of the thousands of non-criminals swept up in Trump's expanding mass-detention net. @tucson.com tucson.com/news/local/s...
The Tucson Baseball Team’s official debut in its new home has been delayed indefinitely because of visa-related issues. The team, which relocated from Navajoa, Sonora ... was scheduled to play its first home series Oct. 16-19 at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. @tucson.com
Tucson Baseball Team cancels 1st home series due to visa-related issues
The Tucson Baseball Team announced that its first home series, slated for Oct. 16-19 at Kino Stadium, has been canceled as it works through visa issues with the U.S. government.
tucson.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:35 AM
The Tucson Baseball Team’s official debut in its new home has been delayed indefinitely because of visa-related issues. The team, which relocated from Navajoa, Sonora ... was scheduled to play its first home series Oct. 16-19 at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. @tucson.com
Reposted by Emily Bregel
During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.
It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’
During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...
chicago.suntimes.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:33 PM
During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.
It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Good news: fossil fuels have plateaued and solar is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide
apnews.com/article/clim...
apnews.com/article/clim...
Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says
A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Good news: fossil fuels have plateaued and solar is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide
apnews.com/article/clim...
apnews.com/article/clim...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.
trib.al
October 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
Reposted by Emily Bregel
I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to the families and communities who trusted me with the most tender and painful parts of their lives. Your voices are the heart of this work, and I only hope I honored them. azluminaria.org/2024/05/03/1...
15 years after a 7-year-old’s life was taken, her light guides her family’s path forward - AZ Luminaria
Ahead of the National Day of Awareness for #MMIWG, Rhia Almeida’s family remembers her life and light. She was killed in 2009 in Ajo, Arizona.
azluminaria.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to the families and communities who trusted me with the most tender and painful parts of their lives. Your voices are the heart of this work, and I only hope I honored them. azluminaria.org/2024/05/03/1...
Reposted by Emily Bregel
When set out on this project to uncover data and stories about #MMIP
in Arizona, my goal was to lend my seat in this privileged space I hold as a journalist to Indigenous people who’ve long said they don’t feel heard or seen. azluminaria.org/mmip-arizona/
in Arizona, my goal was to lend my seat in this privileged space I hold as a journalist to Indigenous people who’ve long said they don’t feel heard or seen. azluminaria.org/mmip-arizona/
MMIP Arizona database - AZ Luminaria
A searchable database and map of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Transgender People in Arizona, MMIP, MMIW
azluminaria.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
When set out on this project to uncover data and stories about #MMIP
in Arizona, my goal was to lend my seat in this privileged space I hold as a journalist to Indigenous people who’ve long said they don’t feel heard or seen. azluminaria.org/mmip-arizona/
in Arizona, my goal was to lend my seat in this privileged space I hold as a journalist to Indigenous people who’ve long said they don’t feel heard or seen. azluminaria.org/mmip-arizona/
Reposted by Emily Bregel
✨Some personal news, as they say✨
While I’m still half expecting a correction any day now, I’m incredibly honored to be named a 2024 Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year. Congrats to @emilybregel.bsky.social & Jason Wolf, who were also recognized for this award.
While I’m still half expecting a correction any day now, I’m incredibly honored to be named a 2024 Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year. Congrats to @emilybregel.bsky.social & Jason Wolf, who were also recognized for this award.
🏆 Arizona Luminaria is Community News Outlet of the Year!
Plus awards for Journalist of the Year + political reporting and more
Nearly 4 years in, and we’re just getting started. Thank you, Southern Arizona. 🕯️
Read more: azluminaria.org/2025/09/24/a...
Plus awards for Journalist of the Year + political reporting and more
Nearly 4 years in, and we’re just getting started. Thank you, Southern Arizona. 🕯️
Read more: azluminaria.org/2025/09/24/a...
Arizona Luminaria wins Community News Outlet of the Year at Press Club Awards - AZ Luminaria
Arizona Luminaria has been named Community News Outlet of the Year by the Arizona Press Club, capping a banner year of recognition that also includes awards for political reporting excellence and jour...
azluminaria.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:35 PM
✨Some personal news, as they say✨
While I’m still half expecting a correction any day now, I’m incredibly honored to be named a 2024 Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year. Congrats to @emilybregel.bsky.social & Jason Wolf, who were also recognized for this award.
While I’m still half expecting a correction any day now, I’m incredibly honored to be named a 2024 Virg Hill Arizona Journalist of the Year. Congrats to @emilybregel.bsky.social & Jason Wolf, who were also recognized for this award.
Reposted by Emily Bregel
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
September 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
Reposted by Emily Bregel
Border wall is now actively going up in the San Rafael Valley, a beautiful and remote area sandwiched between mountains on the AZ-Sonora border.
“Of all the places where a wall is unwarranted, this is one of the most unwarranted places."
By @emilybregel.bsky.social
tucson.com/news/local/s...
“Of all the places where a wall is unwarranted, this is one of the most unwarranted places."
By @emilybregel.bsky.social
tucson.com/news/local/s...
Arizona scenic grasslands become industrial site as border wall rises
The first sections of the Trump administration's steel-bollard border wall have been erected in the San Rafael Valley, between the Patagonia and Huachuca mountains.
tucson.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Border wall is now actively going up in the San Rafael Valley, a beautiful and remote area sandwiched between mountains on the AZ-Sonora border.
“Of all the places where a wall is unwarranted, this is one of the most unwarranted places."
By @emilybregel.bsky.social
tucson.com/news/local/s...
“Of all the places where a wall is unwarranted, this is one of the most unwarranted places."
By @emilybregel.bsky.social
tucson.com/news/local/s...