Axios Phoenix

July 29, 2025
It's Tuesday, and we're getting into the swing of things.
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Today's newsletter is 775 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Noncriminal ICE arrests on the rise


Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions increased in Arizona in recent months, reflecting a national trend, newly obtained data shows.
Why it matters: The numbers illustrate a major shift that arrived soon after the Trump administration tripled ICE's arrest quota from 1,000 to 3,000.
The big picture: The surge in non-criminal arrests followed the new directive, despite the administration's stated focus on targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
Context: Being in the U.S. illegally is a civil, not criminal, violation.
By the numbers: In January, ICE agents arrested 451 people in Arizona, 81 of whom — 18% of the total — had no criminal charges or convictions.
- That shot up to 198 of 702 in May and 241 of 863 in June, making it 28% in both months.
How it works: That's according to agency data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project via Freedom of Information Act requests, and based on seven-day trailing averages.
Zoom out: Nationwide, the surge was more significant — people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests in early June, up from about 21% in early May.
- The average number of daily arrests for those with charges or convictions also increased in early June, but not to the same degree.
- As of June 26 — the most recent data available — ICE was reporting an average of 930 daily arrests, about 42% of which involved people without charges or convictions.
What they're saying: "The media continues to peddle this FALSE narrative that ICE is not targeting criminal illegal aliens," Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios.
- "The official data tells the true story: 70% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. Additionally, many illegal aliens categorized as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and more — they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S. This deceptive 'non-criminal' categorization is devoid of reality and misleads the American public."
2. Musk: Samsung to make Tesla chips
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said late Sunday the automaker has signed a deal to obtain semiconductor chips from Samsung Electronics.
The big picture: Samsung had announced it had struck a $16.5 billion supply agreement, but it didn't name the company.
- The revelation comes after Samsung, one of the world's largest memory chip makers, acknowledged last year it had fallen behind in the AI chips war.
Driving the news: "Samsung's giant new Texas fab will be dedicated to making Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip. The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate," Musk wrote on his platform X.
- "Samsung currently makes AI4. TSMC will make AI5, which just finished design, initially in Taiwan and then Arizona," Musk added.
- "Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency. This is a critical point, as I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress. And the fab is conveniently located not far from my house."
- Representatives for Samsung did not immediately respond to Axios' late Sunday request for comment.
Editor's note: This story was corrected to remove references to Arizona as a place where Samsung will be making chips for Tesla.
3. Chips & salsa: Pima County ballot snafu
🗳️ The Pima County Recorder's Office sent incorrect ballots to about 1,300 voters in three Tucson wards for the Aug. 5 City Council primary election. (KVOA)
👀 U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego will travel to New Hampshire next month, fueling continued speculation about a possible presidential campaign in 2028. (The Hill)
💻 An Arizona woman was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for hosting a "laptop farm" as part of a $17 million North Korean identity theft scam. (NPR)
⚾ Shortstop Nick Ahmed, who spent 10 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, is retiring from baseball. (Sports Illustrated)
4. Bite Club: Aloha, north Phoenix
Hapa Food Co. is now slinging its Hawaiian cuisine in north Phoenix.
State of play: The original eatery opened in 2022 in Mesa, and branched out with its second location earlier this month.
- The new spot, on Shea Boulevard next to State Route 51, offers seating for 44, doubling the original's capacity.
- "Having more seating was a big thing," owner Michael Zander told the Phoenix New Times.
Zoom in: The space is new, but the menu remains the same, featuring Hawaiian mainstays like poke bowls, malasadas — a Portuguese pastry that's popular on the islands — and more.
Best bites: I got a combo with fried garlic chicken over white rice and Kalua pig, plus a side of macaroni salad.
- The chicken had a little sweetness to go with the garlic. The result was a uniquely tasty combination.
- The Kalua pig reminded me of traditional pulled pork, perhaps a little tangier.
📺 Jeremy is slowly but surely chipping into his DVR backlog of old "Jeopardy!" episodes.
This newsletter was edited by Gigi Sukin.
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