Arizona AG Faces Backlash After Warning State Self-Defense Laws Could Allow The Use Of 'Lethal Force' During ICE Encounters

Concretely, Kris Mayes said in an interview this week that the state's "stand your ground" laws could create a "combustible situation" when it comes to encounters with masked ICE agents.

"It's kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification ... wearing plain clothes and masks," Mayes told 12 News reporter Brahm Resnik.

When asked about the possibility of ICE deployments in Arizona similar to those seen in Illinois, Minnesota and North Carolina, Mayes urged residents to remain peaceful, respectful and restrained.

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But controversy arose following her remarks regarding Arizona's self-defense laws, which state that a person is justified in using deadly force if "a reasonable person would believe that deadly physical force is immediately necessary to protect itself against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly physical force."

"We have stand-your-ground laws that say if you reasonably believe your life is in danger, and you're in your house or your car or on your property, you can defend yourself with lethal force," Mayes said.

After the host pushed back to clarify that Mayes was not encouraging violence against law enforcement, the attorney general said it was a "fact" that ICE agents are often difficult to identify and that, under state law, people could legally respond with force if they believe they are under threat.

"Well, no — but again, if you're being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know?" Mayes said. "If somebody comes at me wearing a mask — and 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?"

Asked by Axios about the comments, a spokesperson for the Arizona attorney general's office said Mayes is "deeply concerned about how a potential ICE escalation in Arizona could create combustible situations."

"With ICE recruiting thousands of new agents and giving them minimal training, they are risking public safety," spokesperson Richie Taylor told the outlet.

Mayes' remarks drew sharp criticism from other Arizona officials. Rodney Glassman, a Republican running to unseat Mayes, told Fox News Digital that she was "openly suggesting how to kill ICE officers and avoid prosecution under Arizona's stand-your-ground law," accusing her of betraying her oath of office.

"From running the Attorney General's Office like an anti-Trump law firm, to now saying ICE 'isn't real law enforcement' and suggesting plainclothes ICE officers can lawfully be shot, Kris Mayes is more interested in building a resistance résumé than working for Arizonans," Glassman told the outlet.

Similarly, Rep. David Schweikert, who is also running for governor, said Mayes' comments were "dangerous" and accused her of seeking attention.

"Kris Mayes' dangerous comments on Arizona's stand-your-ground law were an outrageous and attention-seeking provocation designed to pander to her radical leftist supporters," Schweikert said. "Her comments not only jeopardize the safety of federal law enforcement agents, but state and local officers as well."

As noted by Fox News Digital, ICE has already been active in Arizona. In December, the agency reported 46 arrests of undocumented immigrants in Tucson, along with two additional arrests for impeding law enforcement.

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