Federal courts in Arizona and nationwide are flooded with habeas corpus petitions from immigrants alleging they're being wrongfully detained.

The big picture: The Trump administration last July implemented a policy barring immigration judges from granting bail to people in ICE custody who entered the country illegally.

• The move reversed a decades-old legal interpretation that allowed release on bond during removal proceedings.
• In response, immigration attorneys have taken to filing habeas corpus petitions challenging the legality of a person's detention and requesting they be let out on bond while fighting their deportation.

State of play: Many people opt for deportation rather than remaining in federal detention while their cases proceed, immigration attorneys told Axios.

• Immigrants could spend several months in detention while challenging deportations — sometimes in notorious facilities like "Alligator Alcatraz" or the detention center in Dilley, Texas — or longer if they lose and appeal, according to an Arizona immigration attorney who asked not to be named due to retaliation concerns.
• Legal fees range from $3,000 to $15,000, Tucson immigration attorney Mo Goldman told Axios.
• "The idea behind all this is trying to just get people to be deported, leave," he said.

By the numbers: In Arizona, 891 habeas cases have been filed since the beginning of 2025 — 773 still active — with most filed after the July policy change, per the website habeasdockets.org.

• Through the first six months of President Trump's current term, weekly filings nationwide rarely exceeded 50, per a ProPublica analysis.
• But they steadily increased, reaching a high of 2,283 in early February.

The intrigue: A federal judge in California overturned the detention policy in December, and last month issued a scathing order castigating the administration for refusing to comply.

• Phoenix immigration attorney Delia Salvatierra told Axios that immigration judges are still rejecting her clients' bond requests despite the order.

The other side: An unnamed DOJ spokesperson told Axios the Trump administration is "fully enforcing immigration law" after "four years of de facto amnesty" under former President Biden.

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As the Trump administration ramps up federal immigration enforcement, experts say children across the country may be absorbing the fear and uncertainty of ICE operations — even when they don't understand all the details.

Why it matters: Experiencing traumatic events in childhood can create lasting physical and mental health challenges that extend into adulthood, Sita Patel, a clinical psychology professor at Palo Alto University told Axios.

Zoom in: Adverse childhood events cut across "all lines of political and value structure," because their health impacts ripple outward — affecting communities economically and in terms of resources, Patel says.

• She notes that mental health research previously focused on isolated critical incidents, like a car accident, but more recent studies show that chronic stressors have a profound impact on the nervous system and a wide range of other health markers.
• Exposure to constant media coverage, unpredictability and violence creates stress and trauma that Patel says "will absolutely have an impact on many people's life course in terms of health and capacity to contribute and thrive."

About half of all educators surveyed who work with immigrant families said their students have expressed fear or anxiety this school year as a result of federal immigration enforcement efforts.

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🚫 Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill to create a specialty license plate honoring assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Arizona Mirror)

🧑‍⚖️ A federal judge ruled that all of Kari Lake's actions over the past year while running U.S. Agency for Global Media are null and void after finding that the former Arizona candidate was unlawfully running Voice of America's parent agency. (Axios)

🚰 The Central Arizona Project could be in line to get treated water from a desalination plant in Carlsbad, California. (KJZZ)

🚨 Suns forward Dillon Brooks was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Scottsdale early Friday morning. (ESPN)

Glendale native Josh Sweeney is representing the U.S. in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

The big picture: Sweeney's already a sled hockey gold medalist — he played a pivotal role in Team USA's victory in the 2014 Sochi Games — and now has his eye on biathlon and cross-country medals.

The latest: Sweeney placed fifth in two biathlon events over the weekend.

• He is expected to compete again later this week.

Catch up quick: Sweeney joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from Ironwood High School in Phoenix.

• He stepped on an improvised explosive device while deployed in Afghanistan in 2009 and required a bilateral above-knee amputation.
• He was awarded a Purple Heart for his service and sacrifice.

The intrigue: Sweeney's using his training as a Scout Sniper to excel in the biathlon event, which combines cross-country skiing and precision rifle shooting, according to Team USA's website.