Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tells NALEO that the Obama administration is working on immigration reform:

“Make no mistake about it. President Obama and the administration are committed to comprehensive immigration reform,” Napolitano said to cheers and applause of participants at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, a nonpartisan group that represents more than 6,000 political leaders. “But I think we can all recognize, and you as elected officials can recognize particularly, that some reform takes time.”

Napolitano highlighted President Barack Obama’s effort to make it easier for legal immigrants to become citizens and said Obama has taken a tough approach to securing the U.S.-Mexican border.

She did not mention Arizona’s tough new immigration law, which takes effect July 29 if it survives legal challenges. It requires police to question people about their immigration status while enforcing other laws if there’s reason to suspect someone is in the country illegally.

Y'know, if Obama had just left Napolitano as governor of Arizona, SB 1070 wouldn't have been signed into law, there'd be a lot less urgency about illegal immigration, and the Obama administration wouldn't have to be considering a lawsuit to block the immigration law from taking effect, which is likely to hurt the state's Democratic ticket in this year's election. Kind of a lousy call, in retrospect.

U.S. Senate candidate John Dougherty confirms three debates have been set up for the Democrats running for U.S. Senate—but that he still hasn't heard from Rodney Glassman.

Blake Morlock, a spokesman for the Glassman campaign, told us earlier today that Glassman would be in the Phoenix debate.

Our friends at KUAT-TV will host the Tucson debate.

Here's the release from Dougherty's campaign:

A series of three debates is scheduled for three of the four candidates running in the Arizona Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate.

Candidates confirmed to participate include investigative journalist John Dougherty, Scottsdale attorney Randy Parraz and Arizona State University administrator Cathy Eden. A fourth candidate, Rodney Glassman, has not responded to invitations to participate, initially sent June 2 by Dougherty.

The Dougherty, Eden and Parraz campaigns have tentatively

Esquire talks to Congressman Raul Grijalva about SB 1070:

ESQ: It seems like once a generation or so we have a spasm of anti-immigrant fervor in this country, and it's been that way since the beginning. We've been going through such a period in the last half a dozen years or so. Why do you think it's had such a profound effect and actually gotten such incredible results in Arizona? The litany of legislation that you just recited for me — why have the stars aligned in to make Arizona the laboratory for all this?

RG: That's a great question, Mark. I think that it is the growing population here of Latinos. The population continues to grow and it's the fastest growing. At some point soon it's one out of every three kids coming into kindergarten is going to be Latino in this state. It's not as simple as just being nativist. This growing population is seen as a threat. Whether it's Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, you name it, it's just feeding and feeding. Here's what 1070 did. Underlying the issue of immigration here in Arizona and in other parts has been the issue of race. But what 1070 did, both in Arizona and on a national level, is put the question of race front and center in the debate. Now that's part of the issue, a big part of the issue. It was always there, but now it's out in the open.

Congressman Raul Grijalva wants a lot more than what Obama is offering on the border:

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today strongly questioned President Obama’s decision not to fully fund the needs of federal Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) offices in his recent $399 million supplemental budget request for the Department of Homeland Security. The request, meant to support increased CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations along the Southwest border, includes only $6.5 million to fund 30 new CBP customs officers at ports of entry across the nation’s border with Mexico.

Grijalva wrote a letter to Obama June 10 requesting “$300 million for the CBP and the General Services Administration to upgrade technology and

A debate for the Democrats running for U.S. Senate is coming together, with a tentative date of Friday, July 9, on a Phoenix TV station. Blake Morlock, a spokesman for Rodney Glassman's campaign, says Glassman would join his fellow Democrats—John Dougherty, Cathy Eden and Randy Parraz—for the debate. Glassman had been earlier been reluctant to commit to the debate.

No word yet on whether we'll see all four candidates in debates in Flagstaff and Tucson.

Is a deal on the Hayworth-McCain debate on the horizon?

Interfaith Community Services, a volunteer-based nonprofit that provides food, emergency financial assistance, mobile meals, transportation, home repairs and more to Pima County residents, is wrapping up its Freedom From Hunger food drive from 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, June 27, at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565 E. Broadway Blvd.

So far, more than two tons of food has been donated.

The free event will feature ice cream donated by Cold Stone Creamery; a performance by Gestures of Joy, a group of 20 residents from Splendido retirement community who perform sign-language routines to music; and a performance by a quartet from the Tucson Jazz Institute.

Bring a donation of nonperishable food (cereal, rice, pasta, canned meat, tuna, etc.) to the event or before June 27 to:

Interfaith Community Services, 2820 W. Ina Road

Hughes Federal Credit Union offices at 971 W. Wetmore Road, 3131 E. Speedway Blvd., 7970 N. Thornydale Road, 9052 S. Rita Road, 280 N. Pantano Road, 8701 S. Kolb Road or 951 E. Hermans Road

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offices at 3430 E. Sunrise Drive or 7367 E. Tanque Verde

For more information, call 297-6049.

Glass-blowing instructor Jason Marstall of Sonoran Glass Academy talks about his personal experience and history with blown glass. In this multimedia story by UA journalism student Jeff Kessler, Marstall talks explains how he got to Sonoran Glass Academy, and the activities and other offerings they have for Tucson.

• NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

The UA's HiRISE team has posted new snapshots of Mars here.

HiRISE team member Sharon Wilson tells us about the above photo:

This observation is a candidate landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover—named Curiosity—to be launched in 2011.

One of the main science objectives for MSL at this location is to examine deposits containing different types of clay minerals along the banks of Mawrth Vallis.

Arizona Daily Star columnist Bonnie Henry, who helped us remember Tucson-that-was, is stepping down after more than a quarter century.

Details from the morning daily:

Bonnie Henry, longtime Arizona Daily Star columnist and author of "Tucson Memories" and "Another Tucson," is retiring after more than 25 years. A farewell event is planned for Saturday, June 26 at the Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second Street from 2 pm to 4 pm. Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased by clicking here.

The event will feature some of Bonnie's tales of Tucson followed by a reception with dessert and a book signing.

Proceeds from ticket and book sales will benefit the Arizona Historical Society.

The Democratic candidates for Arizona Attorney General got together for a Clean Elections debate last night. It was a little less contentious than the GOP bloodbath, which you can watch here.

Casey Newton of the Arizona Republic reports:

While the Democrats' debate appeared polite by comparison, Rabago and Rotellini exchanged fire over their respective day jobs.

Rabago criticized Rotellini for leaving the Department of Financial Institutions to work for a law firm that represents banks, saying she was too cozy with the institutions she had regulated.

"She went straight to the industry that she regulated," Rabago said. "It's a revolving door. The question that needs to be asked is, are you a friend of the industry or not?"

Read the whole thing here.