Arizona Must Affirm and Enforce Its Constitutional Authority

I am asking you, the government of our State of Arizona, to adopt a clear and unified public policy: No individual or agency has the authority to bypass our due-process protections or ignore our criminal laws. ────────── Arizona’s constitutional obligations apply to every person inside our borders, including federal immigration personnel. ────────── Arizona has both the authority and the duty to take this position: -> The Tenth Amendment reserves all non-delegated powers to the states. That includes criminal jurisdiction and the responsibility to protect residents. -> The federal government cannot compel Arizona to assist in, tolerate, or defer to federal enforcement actions that conflict with these responsibilities. -> Arizona’s Constitution, Article II, Section 3, reinforces this duty by granting the state sovereign authority to protect its people and maintain constitutional balance. These protections are not optional. The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit unlawful detention and unequal treatment. Arizona’s Constitution, Article II, Sections 2 and 4, requires due process, liberty, and equal application of state law. These rights apply regardless of who is violating them. Recent conditions in Arizona show why you must take a clear position. -> The vast majority of individuals detained by ICE in Arizona have no criminal conviction. -> Reports from the Eloy Detention Center continue to document inhumane conditions and ongoing oversight failures. People have been injured, property damaged, and shots fired into cars during ICE actions in Arizona. It is critical that behaviors like this are treated equally under the law. Each part of our state government has a defined responsibility. - We are asking Governor Katie Hobbs to ensure relevant state agencies enforce Arizona law and avoid cooperation that undermines state protections. - We are asking AG Kris Mays to investigate and, when appropriate, prosecute violations of Arizona law by any actor without fear or favor. - We are asking our Senators and Representatives to maintain strong statutory protections, and reinforce that state law applies uniformly to all persons within the state. We are asking all of you to make a public statement confirming the following: Arizona’s constitutional rights apply universally within our borders. State criminal laws will be enforced with no exceptions. Immigration enforcement cannot be used to bypass due-process protections or state-protected rights. Arizona must present a unified front. The Arizona Constitution requires it. The United States Constitution supports it. No individual or agency is exempt from Arizona’s legal standards. Protecting Arizonans is a basic obligation of this government. You have sworn an oath to uphold the constitutions and laws of Arizona and the United States.