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ICEd out Maricopa is in the CBP danger zone. Under new ‘border czar,’ some residents fear deportation
‘People are scared to come to work’ Spalacios’ story is a microcosm of what is playing out across the country. She is an example of the anxiety and anger over what could happen to families as new immigration actions go into effect. The new Donald J. Trump administration began with a flurry of sweeping immigration orders, including the announcement of mass deportation operations, the declaring an invasion at the southern border and the appointment of hardliner Tom Homan as “border czar.” Maricopa is within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, putting it in the jurisdic- tion of both Customs and Border Patrol and ICE. According to U.S. Census Bureau records, one-third of Maricopa’s population identifies as Hispanic. While this small city hasn’t yet seen the same aggressive immigration actions as those in the core of the Phoenix metro, the threat is impacting the Maricopa community, residents say.
IANA SPALACIOS MOVED TO Maricopa in December. Like so many others, she found a safe community for her young family to
I think people are afraid of being betrayed, being deported, knowing that people who are here legally will be deported.” DIANA SPALACIOS
own their first home. “The people I’ve met so far have been very welcoming,” she said. The daughter of Mexican undocumented immigrants grew up in Phoenix, and her father provided for her and her family working illegitimate jobs in the sanitation sector. Most of her family and friends stayed quiet — and stayed inside — as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement missions (better known as ICE raids) began in the 2010s. “I remember in that time, a lot of people didn’t protest,” she said from a bench at Copper Sky Regional Park. “I feel like a lot of people were scared to go in the streets.” Spalacios isn’t an activist. She is a mom, a wife and a professional. The recent immigration actions have spurred her to get more involved, though. “People are always saying, if you’re here, why don’t you start your process legally? I think people are afraid of being betrayed, being deported, knowing that people who are here legally will be deported.”
BY DAVID IVERSEN
InMaricopa.com | March 2025
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