Arizona attorney general wants your videos, photos of ICE agents' actions

Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes wants you to send her your videos and photos of what ICE agents are doing in Arizona.

Mayes has set up a website on her official state page for members of the public to report "potential unlawful activity by federal agents or personnel.'' That includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.

"Independent evidence, submitted directly to our office, could be critical for future independent investigations into alleged misconduct,'' the site says.

Mayes' press aide Richie Taylor said the decision to seek out evidence is in direct response to what has happened in Minneapolis, including the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called what Good was doing that day an "act of domestic terrorism'' and said the officer feared she was going to run him down when he fired three times into her vehicle, killing her. 

But cell phone video — the kind Mayes wants to gather here — showed that the officer had placed himself in front of the vehicle, that she was turning away, and that the second and third shots were fired through the side window. 

A medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. That doesn't necessarily mean the shooting was a criminal act, but it opens the door to prosecutors pursuing a further investigation.

'Respect the law, do not mask, deescalate'

Mayes said she does not question the fact that federal agents have "broad authority'' to enforce federal laws, including immigration laws.

"But they must do so lawfully,'' she said.

The list of what crosses the line, she said, includes use of excessive force, unlawful searches or arrests, wrongful detentions, interference with voting, or other civil rights violations.

In setting up the website, Mayes said she is also sending a message.

"As Arizona's top law enforcement officer, I want to remind all federal agents of my expectations for them in our state: Respect the law, do not mask, de-escalate violence when possible, and stay out of schools, hospitals, and churches,'' she said.

But Taylor said Mayes is not saying that masking violates state laws.

Rather, he said, "ICE has reversed previous guidance from previous administrations. She believes it's unacceptable.''

Ditto with going into schools, hospitals and churches. "It's not per se illegal,'' Taylor said, but, again, is a reversal of prior policy.

"And she believes it's inappropriate for schools and churches and hospitals to be the focus of immigration enforcement,'' he said. "It jeopardizes public safety in a very real way.''

Cites Arizona's 'stand-your-ground law'

The new website comes amid a controversy Mayes ignited over what she said could happen when masked and plainclothes ICE agents come up against what is known as Arizona's "stand your ground law.''

She said the situation starts with the fact that Arizona has "a lot of guns.''

"We're a gun culture in this state,'' she told Brahm Resnik of KTVK-TV.

"It's kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,'' Mayes said. "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.''

She said that's why it's important for police to have uniforms and be easily identified, "especially in a state like Arizona, which has a stand your ground law.''

Mayes made similar comments to Capitol Media Services.

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"When armed, masked agents force their way into the homes of U.S. citizens without warrants, the risk of dangerous and volatile situations rises dramatically,'' she said. "The Trump administration must start acting within the bounds of the Constitution so we can ensure public safety in Arizona and across the country.''

Lawmaker says Mayes should resign

The remarks produced a chorus of criticism from Republican lawmakers and party officials, most recently from state Arizona Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican.

"This is not rhetoric,'' Kavanagh said. "This is a direct threat to law enforcement. When the attorney general of Arizona tells people they may be justified in shooting masked officers, she is inviting violence.''

Kavanagh, who was a police officer in New York, said Mayes should resign.

"The chief law enforcement officer in Arizona has publicly stated that if you are confronted by armed individuals wearing non-traditional police uniforms — meaning wearing the types of military fatigues that ICE wears and SWAT teams wear — and they have a mask on their face, that that is defensible grounds to shoot them and kill them,'' he said. 

Taylor said the attorney general wasn't encouraging violence.

"When you have agents who are acting like what we've seen in Minneapolis, specifically busting down the door of a U.S. citizen without a judicial warrant, and not even there for the person they are actually trying to find, in Arizona, that could create a very dangerous situation,'' he said.

Taylor said Mayes believes those kinds of activities by federal agents, given the prevalence of guns and the state's stand your ground law, "heightens the risk for a volatile and tragic situation to occur.''

He said the first thing people who find themselves in that situation should do is call 911. "That is the safest and best thing that you can do.''

Kavanagh also complained that Mayes was making statements that federal officers who are doing what has happened elsewhere have no immunity. He acknowledged, though, that he is unsure of the extent federal law enforcement officers can be prosecuted for state crimes.

Vice President JD Vance said after the Minneapolis shooting that ICE agents were "protected by absolute immunity.'' But he later backtracked, saying federal officials would conduct an investigation.

Details of the online form  

In setting up the website, Mayes intends to take first steps: gather information on what has occurred, and then determine whether a state crime has occurred.

Taylor said Mayes would examine each complaint received, and that any prosecution "would depend on what laws may have been violated.''

But he said the attorney general believes there is no absolute immunity. "Murder is not lawful,'' Taylor said.

The form at www.azag.gov/complaints/federal-misconduct is comprehensive.

It starts with the name of the person filing the complaint.

Mayes said she needs that for her investigators to contact witnesses for further information. But she conceded that her ability to keep that information confidential is only "to the extent permitted by law,'' as the state has extensive laws on what is a public record. She said, though, that forms can be submitted anonymously.

The forms ask for a description of what happened, where and when that occurred, whether anyone was injured, and whether the person filing the report was physically present.

There's a link to add up to five still photos.

Videos require an extra step. Rather than accept direct submission, the form asks that the videos be uploaded to a third-party site such as  YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, and then provide a link to the video.