Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has ignited a firestorm of controversy after suggesting that state residents might be legally justified in using deadly force against masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents under Arizona’s self-defense laws. During an interview with 12 News anchor Brahm Resnik, the Democratic attorney general warned that the state’s Stand Your Ground law could create a “recipe for disaster” when combined with ICE enforcement tactics.
She described a concerning scenario involving “masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,” and characterized ICE as “very poorly trained.” When pressed about the implications of her remarks, Mayes defended herself by asking, “If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?” She added, “I mean if somebody comes at me wearing a mask, by the way, I’m a gun owner, and I can’t tell whether they’re a police officer, what am I supposed to do?”
The comments have prompted swift backlash from Republican officials and federal authorities. Arizona GOP Rep. David Schweikert, a gubernatorial candidate, called Mayes’ rhetoric “reckless,” writing on social media that “this was the attorney general of Arizona freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as ‘just the law.'” The Department of Homeland Security issued a sharp rebuke, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stating, “This is direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed.” McLaughlin argued that Mayes “should be thanking our federal law enforcement for removing these paedophiles, murderers, terrorists, and drug traffickers from their communities—not inciting violence against them.”
Despite the mounting criticism, Mayes has stood by her statements, insisting she was merely stating legal facts rather than encouraging violence. The controversy comes amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement and several recent incidents involving ICE operations. With Mayes facing reelection in November, her stance on federal immigration enforcement is expected to become a central campaign issue.