The AZ Sheriffs’ Assoc. blasted AG Kris Mayes’ statements that have caused a firestorm related to the shooting of ICE agents.<\/b>
\nIn a January 26, 2026, letter, the Arizona Sheriffs\u2019 Association blasted AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes\u2019 (D) statements that seemed to indicate the state\u2019s \u201cStand Your Ground\u201d law might provide legal justification for shooting ICE agents.
Mayes made her comments in an interview posted by 12 News NBC, where she focused on Arizona\u2019s \u201cStand Your Ground\u201d law, noting that it is one of the most expansive such laws in the country.
She said:
You have these masked federal officers with very little identification \u2014 sometimes no identification \u2014 wearing plain clothes and masks, and we have a \u2018Stand Your Ground\u2019 law that says if you reasonably believe your life is in danger and you\u2019re in your house or in your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.
Mayes added, \u201cIt\u2019s a fact that we have a \u2018Stand Your Ground\u2019 law and, in other states, un-uniformed, masked people who can\u2019t be identified as police officers.\u201d
The Arizona Police Association has since denounced the comments as \u201creckless\u201d and Arizona Senate Majority Leader John Kavanaugh (R) has called for Mayes to \u201cstep down in disgrace.\u201d
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R) told Breitbart News that Mayes\u2019 comments amount to \u201cfantasizing about violent radicals shooting ICE agents.\u201d
Now the Arizona Sheriffs\u2019 Association is blasting Mayes\u2019 \u201clack of understanding of state law\u2013or much worse, a willful and reckless interpretation of the law.\u201d
In a January 26, 2026, open letter, the Arizona Sheriffs\u2019 Association made clear, \u201cThe Attorney General does not speak for Arizona law enforcement\u201d and warned that her \u201crhetoric risks being \u2026 misused in ways that could endanger all law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n