Arizona AG defends comments on ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws, ICE amid criticism

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is defending her recent comments about our state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a statement released Sunday, Mayes said that “right-wing media” mischaracterized her remarks about ICE.

“The idea that I would want the life of any member of law enforcement put in danger is wrong, offensive, and an outright lie,” Mayes said. “Danger to law enforcement is the very thing I want to avoid in Arizona.”

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In an interview with KTAR News, Mayes said that a person can use lethal force if they reasonably believe their life is in immediate danger—such as during a home break‑in or if someone approaches and tries to enter an occupied car while armed.

She then went on to tie that scenario to the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this month.

Mayes said Arizonans do not want masked agents entering their homes without warrants, calling such actions “un-American.”

The attorney general said this will not deter her from continuing to criticize the Trump administration for what she called “ongoing abuses of power.”

In the video shared to social media, Mayes talked about the deaths of two Americans in ICE-involved shootings in Minneapolis this month. She said that the agents’ activities have gotten increasingly chaotic and dangerous in cities across the country.

“ICE’s behavior is destroying the public’s trust in law enforcement and putting every American, including local law enforcement, in danger. It will take years if not decades to undo the damage that has been done over the past twelve months,” she said.

Mayes ended the video by saying as long as she is the state’s AG, she will “never waver in my defense of the United States Constitution and the rights it guarantees the people of this great nation.”

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