Molly Bohannon

Amid student fear and uncertainty, Arizona colleges split on clear policies for ICE on campus Arizona’s 20 higher education institutions with the largest in-person enrollments are split on providing clear policies for what to do if ICE shows up on campus.

When I first looked into how schools were handling the potential of ICE visits last summer, I found students were worried and wanted to feel more supported by their schools. Read that story here: azcir.org/news/2025/09...

Amid rumors of increased ICE enforcement in AZ, I want to hear from students and staff at colleges and universities about the vibe on campus and what, if anything, schools are saying about potential ICE visits. Read my latest update and reach out: mailchi.mp/azcir.org/ic...

Despite broad support for abortion access in their Arizona districts, GOP lawmakers push new restrictions Voters in 2024 passed Proposition 139, a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Arizonans the right to abortion, with nearly 62% support statewide. An AZCIR analysis shows Republican lawmakers responde...

Here it is! My first story with @azcir.org. When I saw AZ lawmakers had introduced laws that would restrict abortion access, I wondered if their actions reflected how their districts voted for Prop. 139. I found it didn't: Each LD voted in favor of the right to abortion care.

Arizona voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students. The state left implementation to chance After Arizona voters approved a 2022 ballot initiative granting in-state tuition to undocumented students, the state put no centralized system in place to track participation or ensure consistent impl...

3 years after AZ voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students through Prop 308, it’s unclear how many have actually benefited. The state had no centralized system to oversee the law's rollout or ensure consistent implementation, AZCIR found.

Read our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/01...

Arizona voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students. The state left implementation to chance After Arizona voters approved a 2022 ballot initiative granting in-state tuition to undocumented students, the state put no centralized system in place to track participation or ensure consistent impl...

read my latest for AZCIR about the implementation of Prop. 308 here: azcir.org/news/2026/01...

Arizona's Hualapai Valley now a 'de facto transfer basin' for out-of-state interests Since 2014, an influx of out-of-state interests have drilled nearly 200 agricultural wells in Mohave County’s Hualapai Valley groundwater basin, straining the aquifer and putting residential water sup...

My colleagues @azcir.org found more than 99% of cropland in the Hualapai Valley Basin is now owned or controlled by out-of-state entities. Read the story here: azcir.org/news/2025/11...

Arizona colleges face ‘devastating impact’ after Trump slashes grant funds to minority-serving institutions Ten community colleges and universities in Arizona will lose at least $13.8 million after President Donald Trump's administration cut discretionary funding to minority-serving institutions.

ICYMI: Ten colleges in Arizona are losing millions of dollars after federal cuts hit grants to minority-serving institutions. Without the additional funds, schools are reducing services that helped raise GPAs and made students feel at home, AZCIR’s @molboha.bsky.social found: bit.ly/4o1dPNF

read my latest, looking at the local impact of federal cuts to minority-serving institutions:

Arizona colleges face ‘devastating impact’ after Trump slashes grant funds to minority-serving institutions Ten community colleges and universities in Arizona will lose at least $13.8 million after President Donald Trump's administration cut discretionary funding to minority-serving institutions.

When the Trump administration recently cut certain grants to minority-serving institutions, millions of dollars earmarked for student support at 10 Arizona schools disappeared—forcing some to end student support programs and reduce staff, via AZCIR’s ‪@molboha.bsky.social‬ azcir.org/news/2025/10...

This reporter looked at Arizona universities' policies about ICE on campus — and how they varied Back in January, the Trump administration revoked an Obama era memorandum preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting enforcement actions in certain areas, such as schools, hospital...

Thanks to @kjzz.org for having @azcir.org's @molboha.bsky.social on to discuss her recent reporting about ICE policies at Arizona's largest universities. Listen in:

www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

Amid student fear and uncertainty, Arizona colleges split on clear policies for ICE on campus Arizona’s 20 higher education institutions with the largest in-person enrollments are split on providing clear policies for what to do if ICE shows up on campus.

NEW: What would your university do if ICE agents showed up? In Arizona, the answer isn’t always clear. Experts say schools should have explicit protocols, but @azcir.org's @molboha.bsky.social found some of the state’s largest universities don’t.

azcir.org/news/2025/09...

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Tribal water settlement aims to repair generations of exclusion The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act would repair decades of legal disputes and devote $5 billion to delivering Colorado River water to tribes in northeastern Arizona.

great work by my colleague @clomahqu.bsky.social. read his latest, looking at a super nuanced issue in the water world, here: azcir.org/news/2025/07...

📣 Exciting news from @azcir.org — we’re welcoming three new investigative reporters:

– @molboha.bsky.social‬: higher education
–‪ @allymarkovich.bsky.social‬: criminal justice
– ‪@adriana-navarro.bsky.social‬: gender, politics & policy

Give them a follow!

Thrilled to welcome three new investigative reporters to our @azcir.org team, @molboha.bsky.social, @allymarkovich.bsky.social & @adriana-navarro.bsky.social. Give them a follow—and share your story ideas and tips!