By Staff Reporter |

Republican lawmakers are challenging Pima County over its resolution to prevent federal immigration enforcement from using county property. 

House and Senate leadership filed a complaint with Attorney General Kris Mayes on Monday requesting an SB1487 Investigation. There is only one other active complaint under this designation, relating to a similar regulation prohibiting federal immigration enforcement activity on city property passed by the city of Phoenix. 

In February, Pima County adopted a resolution, “Protecting County-Owned Properties,” prohibiting county departments, agencies, and employees from giving federal officials access to county buildings without a court warrant. The policy also barred departments, agencies, and employees from voluntarily assisting, facilitating, or cooperating with immigration enforcement. 

The policy also prohibited county property from being used for staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for immigration enforcement. The county defined staging area to include an assembling, mobilization, or deployment of vehicles, equipment, materials, or personnel for immigration enforcement. 

Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott told AZPM that federal agents would have to justify themselves to county officials. 

“If somebody with an enforceable warrant comes in, wanting to deal with what we’ve heard are the ‘worst of the worst,’ they’re going to be able to do that,” said Scott. “These warrantless, random sweeps that we’ve been seeing around the country are not going to happen on county property.”

Pima County Supervisor Tanya Nunez went a step further. She told KOLD that ICE needed to cease operations entirely. 

“It’s a first step, it’s an important step, but it is really just the beginning. We need to have ICE not operate anywhere in our community, not just county property,” said Nunez. 

According to the supervisors, the goal of the resolution was to prevent mass deportations and to limit immigration agents to warrant-based actions. 

GOP leadership in the legislature say this resolution violates Arizona law prohibiting subdivisions of the state from limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration laws, and the Supremacy Clause included in the Arizona Constitution.

Senate President Warren Petersen called the resolution a “radical” undermining of public safety in a press release.

“We’re seeing Democrat-run local governments put radical political agendas ahead of public safety,” said Petersen. “Instead of supporting law enforcement and protecting their citizens from crime, they’re creating barriers that make it harder to enforce the law and easier for criminals to stay in our communities.”

Senate President Pro Tempore TJ Shope argued these patchwork mandates from municipalities would only undermine law and order.

“This is about making sure our laws are applied consistently across Arizona,” said Shope. “When one county decides to go rogue, it creates gaps that undermine enforcement statewide. Arizonans expect coordination between all levels of government, not policies that tie the hands of law enforcement.”

House Majority Leader John Kavanagh questioned whether Mayes would have an biased approach, given her outspoken criticisms of ICE.

“Given her record and her public opposition to immigration enforcement, there is a serious question about whether she can review this case objectively. This is not a policy debate. The law is clear, and it must be applied,” said Kavanagh. 

The city of Phoenix passed a regulation similar to Pima County’s resolution last month.

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