IN FOCUS - Apr. 3, 2026

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson recently passed ordinances that prohibit ICE operations on municipal-owned property. This week, a Republican legislator argued those measures violate state law, and filed a 1487 complaint that seeks an opinion from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

Named for SB 1487, 1487 complaints can result in the loss of State funding for any local government found in violation. The Attorney General’s Office has been asked to examine whether the Phoenix and Tucson ordinances violate a State law that bars cities from adopting policies that “limit or restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.” State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott) filed the complaint. 

Notably, Attorney General Mayes - a Democrat - has been a vocal critic of ICE operations during the Trump administration. In recent months, she mused that masked ICE agents could get shot while conducting operations in Arizona, a state with a well-armed populace and strong stand-your-ground laws. Attorney General Mayes faced bipartisan blowback from critics, including Governor Katie Hobbs, who argued the comments could incite violence against federal authorities.

The cities of Phoenix and Tucson are expected to vigorously defend their ordinances. Now, Attorney General Mayes faces a quandary: uphold the ordinances’ legality and risk giving her opponents an issue to call her soft on illegal immigration, or find the local regulations in violation of State law and risk offending her progressive base.