Top Arizona Senate Republicans are taking direct legal aim at a Pima County policy they say puts local politics above federal law, and they're questioning whether the state's attorney general can be trusted to review it fairly.
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-AZ), President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-AZ), and Majority Leader John Kavanagh (R-AZ) jointly filed a formal complaint Monday with the Arizona Attorney General's Office targeting a resolution recently passed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
The measure directs county employees not to assist federal immigration officers, bars agents from using county facilities, and requires a judicial warrant for property access, even though federal immigration enforcement is legally permitted to operate under administrative warrants.
The complaint, filed under SB 1487, triggers a mandatory legal review to determine whether the county has violated state law or the Arizona Constitution.
A key statute at issue, A.R.S. § 11-1051(A), prohibits local governments from restricting federal immigration enforcement beyond what federal law already allows. Once filed, the Attorney General has 30 days to respond.
Potential consequences for Pima County range from being required to reverse the policy to losing state-shared revenue to having the matter referred to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Continued Review
However, the three Republicans didn't stop at the legal filing. Each used the announcement to question whether Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-AZ) could handle the review without bias.
Moreover, the lawmakers pointed to past statements by AG Mayes that drew criticism, her opposition to federal immigration enforcement efforts, and a rare Arizona Senate resolution calling for her resignation over concerns about her public rhetoric toward law enforcement.
Rep. Kavanagh said the issue goes beyond policy disagreement. "The law is clear, and it must be applied," he said, suggesting Mayes's track record raises legitimate questions about her impartiality.
The senators also flagged a similar situation developing in Phoenix, where city leaders recently adopted a policy requiring City Manager approval before federal immigration agents can access city property.
