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Tuesday, May. 13, 2025

Was a member of Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration arrested for human smuggling?

Carmela Guaglianone, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
no

While an Arizona Department of Agriculture employee pleaded guilty to a smuggling-related offense this year, he was not part of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration. An administration member is generally defined as someone appointed to a post by the governor or another senior official. The employee, who has since been fired, began working for the state in 2013 — nearly a decade before Hobbs took office, according to a spokesperson for the governor. 

Court documents indicate Border Patrol agents arrested the individual after noticing him driving suspiciously and picking up two people later found to be noncitizens.

The Department of Agriculture is reviewing its policies and procedures and has taken steps to inform employees about how to identify and report illegal behavior, according to Hobbs’ office. 

See a full discussion of this at Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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