Standing Together: Resisting Mass Deportation in Arizona

The ACLU of Arizona and LUCHA Arizona hosted a panel to discuss the impacts of the state and federal mass deportation agenda. Watch the recap and take action to urge Gov. Hobbs to veto anti-immigrant bills.

Trump’s mass deportation agenda has oversaturated the news. His administration is pushing the moral and legal bounds of our country to expedite deportations, disregarding people’s rights and humanity in the process. At the same time, the Arizona state legislature is advancing several bills that would force our state to do the anti-immigrant bidding of the federal government, use state resources to fuel the mass deportation machine, incentivize police to prioritize immigration enforcement over public safety, and more. 

For many of us who know, love, and live alongside undocumented people, it can be difficult to shift from fear and overwhelm towards resistance and action. But there are still checks and balances we can activate to protect our communities at the state and local level. That's why the ACLU of Arizona, LUCHA, Representative Brian Garcia, Senator Catherine Miranda, and journalist John Washington came together on March 31, 2025 in south Phoenix to discuss the real impact that national and state-level attacks have on Arizona, and how community members can stay informed and get involved. 

Moderated by ACLU of Arizona Executive Director Victoria López, panelists shared personal stories, policy analysis, and movement efforts to fight for immigrants’ rights. This panel discussion included live interpretation in Spanish and was followed with a Q&A session.

About the Panelists

Victoria Lopez
Victoria López, ACLU of Arizona Executive Director

Victoria López is the Executive Director at the ACLU of Arizona. She was previously the Director of Program and Strategy at the ACLU of Arizona where she led multi disciplinary programs, issue-based campaigns and projects, electoral strategy, and strategic planning. Throughout her time at the ACLU of Arizona, she has worked in various roles including legal director and staff attorney, serving as co-counsel in landmark cases, Melendres v. Sheridan, Jensen v. Thornell, as well as litigation challenging Arizona’s notorious SB 1070, and cases addressing abortion access, free speech, and voting rights. She was previously a senior staff attorney at the ACLU National Prison Project. She began practicing removal defense at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project as an Equal Justice Works fellow, and then served as a staff attorney and executive director. Originally from Chicago, Victoria has called Arizona home for over 20 years. She holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois Champaign and is a 2001 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

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