Mayes warns Arizona self-defense laws could clash with masked ICE raids
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes in an interview this week warned that Arizona's "Stand Your Ground" law could create a "combustible situation" with masked ICE agents.
Why it matters: Mayes' comments could escalate tensions between federal officials, state leaders and protesters as expectations of large-scale ICE raids in Arizona build.
- And Mayes, who faces a tough reelection race in November, will almost certainly be forced to defend the controversial statement on the campaign trail.
What they're saying: "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 on Monday.
- "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."
Between the lines: Arizona's self-defense laws, which Mayes said are among the most "expansive" in the country, state that a person is justified in using lethal force if "a reasonable person would believe that deadly physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly physical force."
- If that standard is met, a person has "no duty to retreat" prior to using deadly force in any place where an individual may "legally be" — not just on private property.
The intrigue: Resnik pressed Mayes on her comments multiple times, noting that they could be interpreted as "a license to an individual to shoot" an officer.
- "Absolutely not … but again, if you're being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?" Mayes responded.
- She said she is a gun owner and "if somebody comes at me wearing a mask, and I can't tell whether they're a police officer, what am I supposed to do?"
- "It's got all the makings for, you know, shootout at the O.K. Corral all over again," she said.
Between the lines: In response to Axios' questions about Mayes' comments, AG office spokesperson Richie Taylor 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."
The other side: ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios' request for a response to Mayes' comments.