A senior staffer for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, handed in his resignation after the attorney general seemingly suggested that people could fire upon federal immigration agents if they felt they were being unfairly treated.
The controversial comments were made during a 12News with host Brahm Resnik, in which Mayes discussed her thoughts on potential interactions between federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Arizona residents during enforcement operations. In a head-scratching comment, the attorney general highlighted Arizona’s “stand your ground” law and the state’s gun ownership culture, suggesting that agents could be shot if they choose to wear masks.
“Stay peaceful, stay restrained. You know, be respectful of each other and law enforcement. Don’t take the bait, because I think that’s definitely going on. They’re trying to bait people all across this country. And if you do that, everything should be OK, and I will protect you,” Mayes said.
“The other thing I want to bring up with you, that I am worried about, that makes Arizona very, very different from almost every other state where this buildup is happening, Brahm, is that we’re a stand your ground state. We have one of the most expansive stand your ground laws in the entire country, that rivals even Florida. We also have a lot of guns in Arizona. We’re a gun culture in this state,” she added.
“And you know, 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 and we 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 at, on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force. But it’s the fact, that we have a stand your ground law and we have in other states ununiformed, masked people who can’t be identified as police officers. That is a problem.”
Mayes further noted that “you’re not allowed to shoot peace officers” before claiming there is no way to be able to identify immigration agents.
“But this is a don’t tread on me state. This is a Second Amendment state. This is a state with a lot of guns in it. And we have a law on the books that the Republican Legislature passed that says you have the right to defend yourself if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger, except when it involves a police officer,” she added.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes @AZAGMayes just put ICE Agents lives in danger. She gave people the idea of how they can shoot ICE Agents. pic.twitter.com/iMlbGNFlJ2
— Garret Lewis (@GarretLewis) January 23, 2026
The attorney general’s comments have been widely condemned by Arizona Republicans, a number of whom have accused Mayes of inciting violence against federal agents. Arizona Senate Republicans passed SCR 1036 on a party-line vote, stating that Mayes “dangerously misrepresented Arizona law and risked putting law enforcement officers and civilians in harm’s way.”
“Her words are relied upon by citizens, officers and public officials alike. They carry real-world consequences during traffic stops, arrests and emergency responses, where hesitation or misunderstanding can turn deadly,” said Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh.
The controversial interview also led to the resignation of, David Harvey, the law enforcement liaison for Mayes’ office. “Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning my position as your Law Enforcement Liaison with the Attorney General’s Office. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to represent this office during my last three years,” the senior staffer said
The move followed immediate condemnation from law enforcement groups, including the Arizona Police Association, which labeled Mayes’ remarks as inflammatory and potentially inciting violence.
