Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is facing mounting scrutiny after her top police liaison abruptly resigned in the wake of televised remarks that appeared to legitimize the use of deadly force against federal immigration officers.
According to Gateway Pundit, David Harvey, who had served as Mayes primary liaison to law enforcement, stepped down on Friday, just days after the Democrat officeholder suggested that armed Arizonans might be justified in shooting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents under certain circumstances. AZ Central reported that Mayes spokesperson declined to comment further or confirm whether Harveys resignation was directly tied to the uproar over her comments, leaving open serious questions about internal dissent within the Attorney Generals office.
The controversy stems from a 12News interview in which Mayes speculated that Arizonas Stand Your Ground law could allow residents to open fire on ICE officers if they could not reasonably identify them as law enforcement, particularly if agents wore masks or were not in standard uniforms. Mayes herself labeled the situation a recipe for disaster, invoking the states self-defense statute and the prevalence of armed citizens, yet she offered no acknowledgment that her rhetoric might be fueling that very danger.
When pressed by journalist Brahm Resnik on whether she was effectively granting citizens a license to shoot an officer, Mayes insisted, Absolutely not. But how do you know theyre a peace officer? Thats the key. She went on to suggest that individuals could later claim they did not reasonably know they were dealing with law enforcement, a line of argument that critics say could embolden violent confrontations with federal agents simply doing their jobs.
Throughout the segment, Mayes leaned heavily on familiar left-wing narratives about immigration enforcement, accusing ICE of thuggish, brutish behavior and advancing an unsubstantiated claim that agents are targeting tribal communities in Arizona. The other thing that I wanna say to ICE is keep your hands off of our tribal members, she declared, alleging that a Navajo man was detained because of the color of his skin, a charge that plays directly into identity politics rather than focusing on the rule of law.
Mayes also veered into election-related speculation, discussing the 2026 cycle, vowing to resist any buildup of federal agents and ICE around election time, and even entertaining conspiracy theories that President Donald Trump might attempt to cancel the midterms.
Notably, she warned, We will do everything that physically that we can do to prevent them from seizing anything, and when asked to clarify, doubled down: It means what it means. No ones taking anything out of our election polling places, a posture that raises profound concerns about a state attorney general openly signaling defiance of lawful federal authority.
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