The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled that Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller violated the law by entering an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The agreement — the 287(g) Task Force Model initiated last August — empowered Pinal County law enforcement to exercise certain federal immigration enforcement powers. This arrangement heavily relied on information-sharing to assist ICE with locating and arresting illegal aliens.
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors disapproved of the agreement. The supervisors contended that Miller needed their permission to enter into such an agreement, citing limitations within the state constitution and statute.
Outside counsel brought on by the county concurred with their view, but the Phoenix ICE Field Office said the 287(g) agreement could only be ended by either Miller or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When Miller refused to renege on the agreement, the supervisors initiated the legal action which culminated in Friday’s ruling.
During the hearing on Friday, Superior Court Judge Michael Gordon said Miller had exceeded his authority and intruded upon Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple’s authority.
Miller said in response to Friday’s ruling that the decision would allow for the continued victimization of Pinal County residents at the hands of criminal illegal aliens.
“[W]e must now wait until those individuals create another victim and end up back in jail on a new charge under the Sheriff’s Jail Agreement,” stated Miller.
Miller said he is “strongly considering” an appeal.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
➡️Statement on the Lawsuit in Pinal County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Ross Teeple v. County Attorney Brad Miller pic.twitter.com/9H7t8axLwN
— Pinal County Attorney's Office (@PCAOAZ) May 15, 2026
Board Chairman Jeffrey McClure’s response was that their lawsuit didn’t represent a rejection of immigration enforcement, but rather a rejection of Miller’s claim to authority.
“This Board has supported federal authorities and immigration enforcement for years. This lawsuit is about whether elected officials must follow Arizona law, respect the limits of their office and properly safeguard taxpayer dollars,” said McClure. “We support law enforcement partnerships that are properly authorized and fiscally sound.”
Teeple confirmed his office works and shares information with ICE on a daily basis.
The board approved a 287(g) agreement for Pinal County Sheriff’s Office regarding county jail assistance.
A judge sided with Pinal County Supervisors today and ruled against County Attorney Brad Miller, confirming that Arizona law grants the Board of Supervisors exclusive authority to approve County contracts and oversee spending. Read the full release: https://t.co/qvPD6rEi9ppic.twitter.com/2tS9sO3SYy
— Pinal County – Government (@PinalCounty) May 15, 2026
Earlier this week, Teeple and McClure claimed in a joint public letter that Miller’s ICE agreement wasted and abused taxpayer funds, and had diverted county attorney investigators from criminal prosecution support to federal immigration enforcement.
“Our position is clear: Mr. Miller has hired staff for new jobs that were never authorized, offered salaries that were never approved, and used public resources in ways that raise grave safety concerns,” stated Teeple and McClure. “[The county attorney’s] office prosecutes cases under Arizona law and represents county officials in civil matters. When those boundaries are crossed, it creates legal conflict, financial risk, and confusion that ultimately harms the public.”
On Monday, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) announced that detectives from its Anti-Smuggling Unit recently intercepted a vehicle on Interstate 10 driven by two illegal immigrants carrying 20,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition. During the January 17th traffic stop, a second vehicle, traveling with the first, was apprehended by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office in Benson, AZ, carrying 10,000 rounds of .50 BMG ammunition.
According to the PCSO press release, the investigation has been handed off to federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF.)
The investigation is ongoing and has been turned over to federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF.) @HSIArizona@ATFHQ
Sheriff Ross Teeple, who began his term on Jan. 1st, said in a statement, “The violence of the cartels in Mexico has held that country hostage. This traffic stop highlights the exceptional work of our Anti-Smuggling Unit detectives as they continually work against these criminal organizations. It also highlights our great working relationships with our federal and local partners in a united front against these criminals.”
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) revealed in a lengthier statement that the seizure involved the Cochise County Counter Narcotics and Trafficking Alliance (CNTA), HSI, and ATF. Officials reportedly contacted the occupants of the vehicles who were identified by the department as “an asylum seeker out of Cuba,” “a U.S. citizen out of Texas,” and “two asylum seekers.” CCSO did not specify what country the second pair were from.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told Fox10, “These people were arrested. It took a lot of work.”
Federal law prohibits the purchase, possession, or transport of ammunition by an illegal immigrant or alien who has not yet been admitted legally to the United States under The Gun Control Act (GCA), or 18 U.S.C. § 922(g),
“It shall be unlawful for any person— who, being an alien—(A)is illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or (B)except as provided in subsection (y)(2), has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa (as that term is defined in section 101(a)(26) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(26))); to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.”
Bernard Zapor, a retired ATF Special Agent In Charge and faculty member at Arizona State University, told Fox10, “One thing for sure is that U.S. ammunition is a massively sought commodity in Mexico. It is priceless.”
He added that the seizures held the hallmarks of cartel involvement saying , “There’s a couple of things that are very interesting about this: the way that it was being transported, it wasn’t concealed from the photographs of the arrests. It was very blatantly just stored in an SUV, which indicates to me that they probably had the crossing into Mexico completely arranged.”
The newly elected Sheriff of Pinal County, Republican Ross Teeple, was sworn into office by his predecessor, former Sheriff Mark Lamb, earlier this month. Sheriff Teeple will report for duty effective January 1, 2025.
Teeple is a U.S. Navy veteran with 16 years of service with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. He has held a wide range of positions including Patrol Deputy, Search and Rescue Deputy, Honor Guard member, Patrol Sergeant, Criminal Investigations Sergeant, Internal Affairs Supervisor, Human Resources Manager, Patrol Lieutenant, and Lieutenant over Aviation, Search and Rescue, according to his campaign website.
Prior to his time with Pinal County, Sheriff Teeple served as a Corrections Officer for 12 years with the Arizona Department of Corrections. Over his 28 years in law enforcement, he has been decorated with several awards and commendations. During his career in the U.S. Navy, he served on a fast attack submarine as a Sonar Technician in Operation Desert Storm.
"It's a huge responsibility that I am so prepared for and really thankful for the voters of Pinal Co. for placing their trust in me."
Wednesday, Sheriff Elect Ross Teeple was sworn in to his new position by Sheriff Mark Lamb.
In a statement posted to X, Teeple said, “It’s a huge responsibility that I am so prepared for and really thankful for the voters of Pinal Co. for placing their trust in me.”
Lamb sat down with Teeple in a semi-casual video message in which Lamb bid goodbye to his friends, Deputies, and staffers and introduced Teeple.
After being introduced by Lamb, Teeple spoke highly of the soon-to-be-former Sheriff and praised his legacy saying he had “big shoes to fill.”
“I want to thank the citizens of Pinal County, especially for you guys having the trust and the gratitude and the strength to vote for me and wanting to continue on with the legacy that is Mark Lamb. I can tell you I’ve been all over this county speaking to as many people as I possibly can, getting out there knocking on as many doors, and when I talk to the people, it’s overwhelming how many people just absolutely adore this man and the way that he has run Pinal County and made us the safest large county in Arizona. And that’s directly related to you. I appreciate it,” said Teeple.
He continued, “I’m going to tell you right now, I’m probably one of the only people in Pinal County that wishes you would have done a less better job. I have really big shoes to fill because you did an amazing job. In stepping into them, there’s nowhere to go but up, but there’s a lot of way to go down, and I’m not going to allow that to happen.”
In the 2024 General Election, Teeple defeated his Democratic opponent, Patrick Melvin, a retired Deputy Chief with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office by a massive margin of 27.2%, or 55,176 votes, indicating wide voter support for a continuation of Lamb’s policies.
