Arizona AG Kris Mayes blasted for saying residents can shoot masked ICE agents under state laws

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes triggered intense backlash after comments she made in a TV interview raised alarms about violence, immigration enforcement, and the limits of self-defense. Her remarks, aired Monday, January 19, quickly ricocheted across political circles and social media.

Speaking with 12 News anchor Brahm Resnik, Mayes warned that Arizona’s “Stand Your Ground” law could collide dangerously with the growing presence of masked federal immigration officers in the state, a combination she described as a “recipe for disaster.”

Kris Mayes warns of ‘recipe for disaster’ involving ICE agents

“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 said during the interview, sharply criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and calling its agents “very poorly trained.”

She went on to explain how Arizona’s self-defense statute works in practice. “And we have a Stand Your Ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force,” she said.

The implication that residents could legally open fire on someone they believed posed a threat immediately set off alarm bells.

Interview turns tense as anchor pushes back

Resnik repeatedly challenged Mayes, warning that her comments could easily be interpreted as giving people a “license” to shoot a federal agent. Mayes pushed back just as forcefully, insisting she was stating legal facts, not encouraging violence.

“If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?” Mayes asked. She added pointedly, “Real cops don’t wear masks.”

The attorney general also invoked her own experience as a gun owner. “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?” she said. “No, I’m not suggesting people pull out their guns, but this is a don’t tread on me state.”

ICE operations expand as tensions rise in Arizona

Mayes’ comments come as immigration officers begin spreading into parts of Arizona, raising tensions in communities already on edge over enforcement tactics. She vowed to prosecute any ICE agent who violates state law, a promise that further inflamed critics who say her rhetoric risks escalating confrontations.

The controversy follows unrest in Minnesota, where protests erupted after a federal officer fatally shot 37-year-old Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good during a heated confrontation on January 7. Good was killed after she clipped an officer with her car, an incident that has since become a flashpoint in national debates over ICE operations and protest policing.

Republicans slam ‘reckless’ rhetoric from Arizona AG

Arizona GOP Rep David Schweikert did not mince words in his response, calling Mayes’ remarks dangerous and irresponsible. The Republican lawmaker, who is also running for governor, accused the attorney general of casually floating scenarios that could end in bloodshed.

“Let’s not pretend this was some careful legal seminar,” Schweikert wrote on X. “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.”

He added, “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.”

DHS and JD Vance urge leaders to ‘tone down the temperature’

The Department of Homeland Security also weighed in, accusing liberal officials of stoking hostility toward federal law enforcement at a time when violence against officers is on the rise. DHS has repeatedly urged political leaders to dial back their rhetoric.

Vice President JD Vance echoed that warning during a visit to Minneapolis, pressing local officials to “tone down the temperature” as protests continue following Good’s death. 

“This is direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. 

She added that Mayes “should be thanking our federal law enforcement for removing these p**ophiles, murderers, te**orists, and d**g traffickers from their communities — not inciting violence against them.”

Mayes is up for reelection in November.