Attorney General Kris Mayes claimed Arizonans can shoot at ICE agents under the state’s self-defense laws.
Mayes gave the green light on the shooting of federal law enforcement during an exclusive interview with 12News on Tuesday. The attorney general said she would protect Arizonans, and that they would have a reasonable defense for not recognizing federal law enforcement.
“[W]e have a Stand Your Ground law that says that if you reasonably believe your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property that you could defend yourself with lethal force,” said Mayes. “This is a Don’t Tread on Me state.”
Mayes then blamed the Republican-led legislature for allowing this alleged loophole she highlighted in her interview.
“We’re a Stand Your Ground state. We have one of the most expansive Stand Your Ground laws in this country that rivals even Florida. We also have a lot of guns in Arizona. We’re a gun culture in this state,” said Mayes. “It’s kind of a recipe for disaster. Because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks.”
Mayes advised ICE to take their masks off and identify themselves.
“If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know [not to shoot them]?” asked Mayes.
The attorney general also created a reporting page online to submit reports of ICE activities for potential prosecution.
“We want people to record ICE in the state of Arizona,” said Mayes.
The attorney general said she had not witnessed any obstruction of immigration enforcement activities in Arizona. Mayes indicated ICE and their “thuggish behavior” was to blame for the rioters in Minneapolis, Minnesota following the shooting of Renee Good.
“It’s a combustible situation being caused by ICE,” said Mayes.
Mayes said she would prosecute ICE agents for “assault, murder, unlawful imprisonment, and other state crimes.” She said that would only prosecute outside the scope of regular duties of federal agents, citing assault and murder.
“You cannot assault a person who is peacefully protesting,” said Mayes. “What ICE is doing in Arizona is making us less safe, not more safe.”
Mayes expressed outrage over the detainment of Native Americans for suspected immigration violations.
Mayes also dismissed ICE agents as “very poorly trained” and weren’t “real law enforcement.” She estimated the additional officers amounted to 30 to 50 agents.
“I don’t think they’re real law enforcement based on their lack of training,” said Mayes.“My message to ICE as they ramp up here in Arizona, number one I hope they don’t. We certainly don’t need badly trained ICE officers in this state. And on that point I would add, based on that understanding they receive less than half the training that the average new Phoenix police officer gets. PPD gets 700 hours of training, which is something like 17 weeks. ICE officers are only getting about six weeks at most of training.”
The attorney general criticized Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan for clarifying his remarks on equal enforcement of laws to ICE to include his support for federal law enforcement.
“I think Sheridan should have stuck with his first answer,” said Mayes.
Rep. David Schweikert, a Republican candidate for governor, published a lengthy statement to social media criticizing Mayes’ remarks as “reckless” and a denial of present threats caused by the mass illegal immigration that occurred under President Joe Biden.
“This was the attorney general of Arizona freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as ‘just the law.’ That is reckless on its face,” said Schweikert. “If your job is to enforce the law, you do not go on TV and hand out a permission structure for violence, then act surprised when people hear it as a green light. Words matter. Especially when they come from the state’s top lawyer.”
Kris Mayes wrapped her comments in “don’t tread on me,” then went on television and explained how Arizona’s stand your ground law could justify shooting at masked federal agents if someone can’t identify them as law enforcement.
Let’s not pretend this was some careful legal…
— David Schweikert (@DavidSchweikert) January 23, 2026
The Arizona Police Association (APA), likewise, called Mayes’ remarks “reckless,” as well as “deeply troubling and dangerous” in a follow up 12News interview, given that state and local law enforcement don’t always wear traditional uniforms either. APA executive director Joe Clure said the lack of identification doesn’t diminish legal authority or status as law enforcement.
“In that context, Attorney General Mayes went on to describe scenarios under which a person could claim legal justification for shooting a law enforcement officer, specifically citing the possibility that ICE agents might not be easily identifiable due to masks or nontraditional uniforms,” said Clure. “Publicly speculating about how someone might legally justify shooting an ICE agent sends a dangerous and irresponsible message, particularly in an already tense and polarized environment.”
Be the first to comment