The president of the Arizona Senate has called for a criminal investigation into State Sen. Analise Ortiz (D) after she posted a sighting of ICE officers on her Instagram story, informing her followers about potential immigration raids.
“I spoke with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona and referred this matter to his office to investigate, as it appears she may be in violation of federal law,” Senate President Warren Petersen, who is running for Arizona attorney general, said in a statement. “Arizona Senate Republicans stand firmly in support of ICE and the important work they do to uphold our nation’s immigration laws and protect our communities.”
Petersen did not respond to an email from Truthout seeking comment.
Since Trump took office, Arizona has seen a spike in ICE arrests, which almost doubled between January and June, from 450 people to over 860, according to an Axios analysis of data from UC Berkeley School of Law’s Deportation Data Project. The percentage of people arrested with no criminal charges or convictions also increased, from 18 percent in January to 28 percent in June.
Fellow Republican State Sen. Jake Hoffman also weighed in, stating that he would be filing an ethics complaint against Ortiz for “doxxing ICE agents & openly putting the lives of American law enforcement at risk.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona), cheered on Petersen and Hoffman, writing, “There’s no excuse for intentionally obstructing law enforcement activities and putting agents’ lives and the public in danger. Credit to @votewarren and @JakeHoffmanAZ for immediately taking action.” Biggs chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance and is currently running for governor.
However, many have jumped to Ortiz’s defense and posted messages of support on social media, noting that her actions are protected by the First Amendment.
“She’s doing what any real leader should be: standing up for our communities, sharing information that keeps us safe, and refusing to be intimidated by the GOP’s scare tactics,” Progress Arizona posted on X. “ICE has no place in our neighborhoods.”
The account for Arizona House Democrats also defended Ortiz, saying, “This is just an authoritarian intimidation tactic to silence opposition. It’s shocking and embarrassing that Senate President Petersen — a newly minted attorney no less — is more loyal to Trump than to the law.”
“Warren Petersen is using his position as Sen. President to threaten and intimidate Sen. Analise Ortiz for exercising her 1st Amendment rights,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote on X. “That’s not leadership — it’s bullying. I know he’s only been a lawyer for a year and a half but he needs a CLE [Continuing Legal Education] on the Bill of Rights.”
Ortiz’s post comes as people across the country are taking actions to protect their communities from Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda — from volunteering with rapid response teams to verify reports of and document ICE activity to attending “Know Your Rights” trainings.
Republican lawmakers’ response to Ortiz demonstrates the increasing threats to those who oppose Trump’s white supremacist policies, including elected officials. Federal agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-New Jersey) outside an immigration jail in Newark, New Jersey. At the time of Baraka’s arrest he was walking away from the jail after being denied entry. On the same day, federal agents arrested McIver, who had arrived as part of a congressional delegation to conduct an oversight tour. In New York, federal agents arrested City Comptroller Brad Lander inside a Manhattan courthouse after he linked arms with a person who ICE was trying to detain.
Ortiz remains undeterred. In response to a “Libs of TikTok” post calling for her to be charged, she wrote: “When ICE is around, I will alert my community to stay out of the area, and I’m not fucking scared of you nor Trump’s masked goons.”
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