Arizona Republicans Push to Criminalize Protesters for “Obstructing” ICE Arrests

Despite public scrutiny over federal immigration agents’ use of force following the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Republicans in Arizona are pushing to criminalize protestors for “obstructing” an arrest.

Top Republicans marked the start of the new legislative session with the announcement during an early morning news conference, brandishing bright red posters with “We support ICE” printed on them in capital letters and bracketing Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller — who came up with the proposal — as he praised federal immigration officials and criticized “agitators.”

Miller has sought to build a reputation as a border hawk and Trump loyalist, entering his office into a federal partnership with ICE last year without permission from the county’s board of supervisors, volunteering to prosecute a Phoenix Democratic senator who shared alerts about ICE activity on her social media, and most recently speaking out in defense of the agent who shot Good in the face and called her a “f*cking b*tch” immediately after he killed her.

But just as the news conference was about to begin, a crowd of outraged protestors descended on Miller and the handful of GOP lawmakers preparing to give remarks about the new legislation just outside of the state Senate. One man played a tuba, another played a trombone and still another shook a plastic container filled with coins in accompaniment. Protestors waved signs reading “ICE OUT OF AZ” and “say her name: Renee Good,” while chanting “ICE kills moms!” and “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!”

The shouting drowned out Miller as he attempted to speak to reporters, prompting the news conference to come to an abrupt halt. The group eventually retreated to a Senate hearing room, followed closely by protestors, who continued chanting and held their signs up against the glass doors of the chamber’s lobby.

Inside the Senate building, Miller touted his proposal as a solution for what supporters of federal immigration officials claim is an increasingly hostile working environment.

“ICE face escalating dangers from doing their jobs,” he said. “Assaults on federal officers have skyrocketed.”

The Trump administration has routinely inflated assault statistics and failed to provide any evidence. An investigation by the Los Angeles Times into thousands of pages of court records found the claims from the federal government to be misleading, with the majority of alleged attacks against ICE agents resulting in no injuries.

Miller pointed to the December raid of Taco Giro restaurants in Tucson as proof that protests have gotten out of control and endangered federal agents. At least two agents were hurt by activists, he claimed, suffering a bicep rupture and an injured knee. That same raid prompted criticism after U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva was pepper-sprayed by federal agents and nearly struck with a pepper-ball. A Tucson Sentinel reporter who was also pepper sprayed wrote that he witnessed at least one federal agent trip and fall down.

The proposal, which has yet to be introduced as legislation, would expand the legal definition of obstructing governmental operations to include threatening or intimidating a law enforcement officer while making an arrest. Currently, a person obstructs governmental operations when they knowingly hinder the activity of a public servant acting under their official role or impede the enforcement of a law being implemented by a police officer. Doing either could result in a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries with it thousands of dollars in fines and up to six months in jail.

Miller said the change in state law wouldn’t infringe on the First Amendment right to protest, but instead act as a buffer for law enforcement officials attempting to take people into custody — including ICE agents, whose arrest methods have recently faced rising public disapproval.

“This bill draws a constitutional line,” Miller said. “Observe, record, question but do not physically obstruct (or) threaten in ways to heighten danger or interfere with a lawful arrest.”

Senate President Warren Petersen lauded the proposal, saying he would work to support it. The Republican from Gilbert has spent his political career pushing for stricter immigration legislation, and with the 2026 midterms on the horizon that’s likely to be the case again, especially as he works to convince voters to make him the state attorney general.

Petersen, who is running for attorney general in this year’s election, obliquely mentioned the shooting of Good in Minneapolis by framing the legislation as a way to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“We’ve seen some tragedies recently — tragedies that could be avoided if people would simply just follow the law,” he said.

“ICE are sworn law enforcement officers and you shall not resist. Follow the law — comply, don’t die,” echoed Rep. John Gillette, R-Kingman, who said he would be sponsoring the bill.

Gillette is a former sheriff’s deputy in Illinois who resigned after amassing 42 complaints in his 13-year career, a number of which were for using excessive force. He was also the subject of multiple lawsuits stemming from his treatment of suspects and victims.

Last year, he made national news when he said that a Democratic congresswoman from Washington state should be executed for encouraging protests against Trump. That happened a few weeks after he called American Muslims “f*cking savages” who should be deported to the “sh*t hole” places they came from.