Yuma Edition

Yuma Edition- Victoria Lopez, executive director, ACLU of Arizona

By Victor Calderón,

Published August 24, 2026 at 2:44 PM MST

Victoria Lopez, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona with hosts Victor and Carmen.

On today's episode of Yuma Edition, our guest is Victoria Lopez. She is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, of Arizona.

Lopez was in San Luis, Ariz. recently where she spoke at a know your rights meeting for local residents.

We spoke with her about how citizens and journalists have rights when it comes to recording immigration enforcement (ICE) activity, protecting the rights of all Arizonans and other issues ACLU AZ works on including voting rights, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights.

Lopez was previously the Director of Program and Strategy at the ACLU of Arizona. According to ACLU AZ, she served as co-counsel in litigation challenging Arizona’s SB 1070 and cases addressing abortion access, free speech and voting rights.

Lopez began practicing removal defense at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project as an Equal Justice Works fellow and later served as a staff attorney and executive director.

Yuma Edition

Victor Calderón

Victor is originally from West Sacramento, California and has lived in Arizona since 2012. He began his print journalism career in 2004 following his graduation from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Victor has been a reporter for the following daily newspapers: The Monterey County Herald, The Salinas Californian and the Reno Gazette-Journal, where he covered stories including agriculture, education and Latino community news. Victor has also served as a local editor for Patch, a national news organization with hyperlocal websites, in Carmichael, Calif. in the Sacramento area. He also served as the editor for The New Vision, the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, which includes Yuma and La Paz counties. Victor lives in Yuma. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and following most sports.

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Carmen Márquez

Carmen Márquez is a Mexican-American journalist born and raised in Yuma. For almost a decade she worked in national TV and radio focusing on undocumented communities in the United States. She has produced documentary episodes for LWC Studios about Latina health (100 Latina Birthdays podcast.), worked with UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute and produced for various outlets including Latinus and Channel 4 News London. She has also co-hosted What's Up Yuma? Radio with Jonny Porter on KOFA Border Radio.

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