Mayes should resign, his comments endanger ICE

(The Center Square) – Senate Majority Leader John Cavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, called on Arizona Attorney General Chris Mayes to resign after she said people who feel they are in danger are legally allowed to shoot masked federal law enforcement officers.

Mayes made these comments in an interview with 12News, where she said, “We have a stand your ground law that says if you think your life is in danger and you’re in your home or your car or your property, you can defend yourself with deadly force.”

Mayes told the news outlet that she is not advocating for law enforcement to shoot. However, she asked, “How do you know they’re a peace officer? That’s the key … if you’re being assaulted by someone who identifies as a peace officer, how do you know?”

Cavanagh told Center Square that Mayes’ comment about people being able to legally “shoot law enforcement officers if their faces are covered and they’re wearing non-traditional SWAT-type uniforms is wrong.”

He added that the Attorney General’s comments were “irresponsible and provocative”.

His comments “put the lives of federal and local law enforcement officers engaged in such dangerous work at risk,” the state senator said.

“He needs to retract his statement and resign in disgrace,” Cavanagh said.

“Chris Mayes is the top law enforcement officer in the state of Arizona. She just gave away drug cartel members. [and] Police are a license to kill dangerous criminals,” he said.

Kavanagh said that if cartel members or dangerous criminals kill police, they will use the attorney general’s comments as a “defense.”

“I don’t want to see Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer as the star witness for the defense in a murder case involving a gang banger or a drug cartel member when they kill a cop,” Cavanagh told Center Square.

According to Kavanagh, Democrats are “so rabidly anti-immigration enforcement that they will demonize immigration officials every chance they get.”

He described federal law enforcement officers as “officials sworn to enforce the law of the land or immigration law.”

America’s immigration laws are democratic laws “that need to be enforced,” Cavanagh said.

“President Trump was elected because he will enforce [immigration laws]And the Democrats lost because they opened our borders,” he told Center Square.

In addition to Kavanagh, U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, condemned Mayes’ statement.

“Chris Mayes’ comments justifying the killing of our ICE agents were reprehensible but entirely predictable. It’s a natural consequence of elevating a far-left political activist to Arizona’s top law enforcement position,” he noted.

Hamadeh said Arizona’s stand-your-ground law does not give citizens the right to use deadly force against law enforcement.

Joe Clure, executive director of the Arizona Police Association, an organization that represents more than 12,000 police officers, said law enforcement is “an inherently dangerous job,” but Mayes’ recent comments “have the potential to make it even more dangerous.”

“ICE agents are sworn federal law enforcement officers who carry out the legal duties of the federal government. Publicly speculating about how someone can legally justify shooting an ICE agent sends a dangerous and irresponsible message, especially in an already tense and polarized environment,” Clure said.

“The words of elected officials matter. It only takes a deranged person to interpret such comments as permitting or encouraging the use of deadly force against police officers,” he added.

In a video on Sunday, Mayes said, “This idea [she] I want it to be wrong and offensive to endanger the life of any member of law enforcement.”

“This is an outright lie,” he added.

Mays said state residents “don’t want masked agents entering their homes without a warrant.” He called these actions “un-American” and threatened “the rights and safety of everyone in our state.”

“ICE’s behavior is destroying public trust in law enforcement and endangering every American, including local law enforcement. It will take years, if not decades, to undo the damage done in the past 12 months,” Mayes noted.

Center Square reached out to Mayes’ office for comment, but it did not respond before press time.

But Arizona Senate Democrats backed Mayes in a statement.

“Violence and chaos are not welcome in Arizona,” the Democrat said. “Attorney General Chris Mayes knows this, and she is fighting to protect Arizonans in a new political reality where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is comfortable violating the civil rights of American citizens and those here legally. This is about public safety, and Attorney Mayes is right. We will unfortunately continue to experience action in Arceon if they experience a tragic event.”

“The attorney general was describing our new legal reality — not encouraging anyone to harm law enforcement,” Senate Democrats continued. “She warned that the unconstitutional and irresponsible process could create tragedies and that no one should have to assume that an armed person breaking down their door is a criminal or a peace officer.”