Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has vowed to vigorously oppose key aspects of the incoming Trump administration’s immigration policies. In an interview with the Guardian, she declared that any attempt to deport “dreamers” or establish deportation camps in Arizona would be met with staunch resistance. Mayes emphasized that the approximately 30,000 dreamers in Arizona—undocumented immigrants who arrived as children and benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—are vital members of the community, working as firefighters, police officers, and teachers. She intends to fight for their right to remain in the US, viewing their deportation as a “bright red line.”
While Trump has recently softened his stance on DACA, suggesting he wants to find a way for dreamers to stay, Mayes remains skeptical, particularly given the ongoing legal challenges to DACA from Republican states. She expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold DACA protections, stating her team will present strong arguments to the court. Beyond DACA, Mayes vowed to fight any attempts to reinstate family separation policies or construct mass deportation camps in Arizona. She described family separation as “fundamentally anathema to who Arizonans are,” and declared that such practices would not be tolerated within the state.
Mayes and her team have spent months preparing for a Trump administration’s return, studying the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” policy blueprint. They have also collaborated with other Democratic state attorneys general, boasting an 80% win rate in over 100 lawsuits filed during Trump’s first term. This cross-state cooperation will be crucial, particularly given the differing approaches of border-state attorneys general. While Mayes works with her counterparts in California and New Mexico, Texas’ Republican attorney general maintains an opposing stance.
Despite the passage of Proposition 314 in Arizona, which allows state police to arrest undocumented individuals crossing the border illegally, Mayes remains committed to challenging unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration. She believes that while Arizonans are concerned about border security and the fentanyl crisis, they did not vote to violate the US Constitution. Mayes advocates for increased federal resources to bolster border patrol, fentanyl interception, and the prosecution of drug cartels, rejecting Trump’s proposals to deploy the National Guard or military for deportation efforts.
Mayes’s high-profile indictment of individuals involved in the 2020 “fake electors” conspiracy, including Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and chief of staff Mark Meadows, further underscores her resolve. Despite the recent overturning of a similar case in Georgia and the potential for retaliatory investigations under a Trump-appointed FBI director, Mayes stated she is undeterred, asserting that she will uphold the law and protect Arizonans regardless of political pressure.