By Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, is facing sharp criticism after remarks critics say amount to a backhanded endorsement of violence against federal law enforcement, underscoring the broader radicalization within Democratic ranks over immigration enforcement.
In a January 20, 2026, television interview with 12 News anchor Brahm Resnik, Mayes warned that the combination of masked federal officers and Arizona’s expansive self-defense statute could have deadly consequences. “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, while also describing Immigration and Customs Enforcement as “very poorly trained.”
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
Mayes went on to outline Arizona’s self-defense law in stark terms. “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.
Pressed by Resnik on whether such comments could be interpreted as a “license” to shoot federal agents, Mayes denied encouraging violence, insisting she was merely stating the law. “If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?” she asked, adding bluntly, “real cops don’t wear masks.”
The attorney general, who emphasized that she is a gun owner, continued: “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? No, I’m not suggesting people pull out their guns, but this is a ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ state.”
The remarks come amid heightened tensions over expanding federal immigration enforcement in Arizona, following unrest in other states, The New York Post noted. In Minnesota, protests erupted after a federal officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, during a January 7, 2026, confrontation in which she allegedly clipped an agent with her car.
Republican leaders and federal officials reacted swiftly. U.S. Rep. David Schweikert condemned Mayes’ comments as reckless, writing on Twitter that her rhetoric was not a “careful legal seminar” but “freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as ‘just the law.’” He added, “That is reckless on its face. 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 Department of Homeland Security echoed those concerns, accusing liberal officials of inflaming tensions as reports of violence against officers rise. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “This is direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed.” She added that Mayes “should be thanking our federal law enforcement for removing these pedophiles, murderers, terrorists, and drug traffickers from their communities — not inciting violence against them.”
Attacks against ICE and death threats have dramatically increased by 8,000 percent, she recently told Fox News.
Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, urging officials to “tone down the temperature” during a visit to Minneapolis, where demonstrations have continued since Good’s death.
Mayes, who was elected in 2022 and faces reelection in November 2026, has pledged to prosecute any ICE agents who violate state law even though such a move is blatantly unconstitutional and has been for centuries. Her office has also prepared measures such as a portal allowing community observers to submit video evidence of federal operations, egging leftwing protesters into confronting the officers in their line of duty.
Mayes’ comments exemplify an increasingly radical posture among Democratic officials—one that stops short of explicit calls for violence but gives a wink and a nod to those on her side who have grown dramatically more violent over the past few years.
[Read More: GOP Member Betrays Mike Johnson]
