Arizona Latino families face soaring heat and immigration fears as schools reopen

In Tucson, Arizona, rising summer heat is forcing Latino families like Jennifer Cárdenas’s to choose between costly air-conditioning and basic necessities as schools prepare to open in August. Temperatures often climb above 100°F, creating risks of headaches, fatigue, heatstroke and poorer test scores for students, especially young children. Data show thousands of heat-related deaths statewide since 2013, with a disproportionate impact on Latino residents.

The removal of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and reductions to the Solar for All initiative have stripped many households of vital cooling subsidies. Community organizer Linda Stone warns that recent ICE operations at schools have heightened fear among immigrant parents, sometimes leading them to keep children at home. These combined pressures highlight the intersecting challenges of climate, economics and immigration enforcement for vulnerable communities.