Gov. Hobbs asks Attorney General Kris Mayes to walk back her ICE comments

PHOENIX – Despite a wave of Democratic support for Arizona’s attorney general after her recent comments on the state’s Stand Your Ground law and federal immigration enforcement, the state’s top Democrat is taking a more critical tone.

In fact, Gov. Katie Hobbs told reporters during an event Thursday she believes Attorney General Kris Mayes should walk back what she said.

“I think her comments were inappropriate and she should retract them,” Hobbs said.

She added the moment calls for elected leaders to lower the temperature and choose their words carefully, warning that heightened rhetoric can fuel fear and increase the risk of violence.

What ICE comments caused the Kris Mayes, Katie Hobbs controversy?

Mayes has repeatedly tried to clarify comments she made in a Jan. 20 interview with 12News, where she warned that encounters between Arizona residents and ICE agents could turn deadly. She said the mix of armed residents empowered by the state’s Stand Your Ground law and mask‑wearing, plain‑clothes federal agents was “a recipe for disaster.”

On Sunday, she released a video stressing that her concern is for the safety of both Arizonans and law enforcement if Trump deploys what she called “poorly trained” ICE agents to the state.

Her message came a day after ICE agents shot and killed nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis — the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in the city this month.

However, Hobbs wasn’t a fan of her messaging.

“If she’s had to do as much explaining as she has, it didn’t hit the mark,” Hobbs said. “We are seeing, across the country, people’s fear increasing, and the potential for violence increasing, and law enforcement officers have a really really hard and dangerous job, and we have to do our best we can to make sure that that job is as safe as possible.”

She isn’t the only elected official to condemn Mayes for her remarks. Arizona GOP lawmakers formally called for her resignation on Tuesday.

Office of Attorney General Kris Mayes responds

Richie Taylor, the communications director of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, took umbrage with Hobbs’ comments.

“The attorney general has repeatedly clarified her comments,” Taylor said in a statement. “She obviously does not believe it’s legal to shoot a peace officer. The actions of Donald Trump’s federal agents are endangering public safety and putting local and state law enforcement and the public in danger, and that is what should concern the governor.”

Hobbs is running for reelection this year. She is the presumptive Democratic nominee as she seeks a second term. The Republican primary has three leading candidates: U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert and 2022 candidate Karrin Taylor Robson.

Arizona’s 2026 primary elections will be held Aug. 4. The general election is set for Nov. 3.

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