Citizens may use deadly force against masked ICE agents if they feel they are in danger, according to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes

Arizona's Democratic attorney general has claimed that residents could be justified in shooting US immigration agents under the state's self-defense laws, escalating the rhetoric amid nationwide crackdowns. 

Speaking to 12 News on Wednesday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said her state's 'Stand Your Ground' law creates a "recipe for disaster," as masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are, she claimed, "very poorly trained" and have "very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks." 

She stated that the law allows people to defend themselves with lethal force if a person "reasonably believes" their life is in danger. Interviewer Brahm Resnik repeatedly challenged her, saying the comments could be seen as a license to shoot an officer, to which Mayes replied that she was merely stating a fact. 

Federal officials have condemned Mayes' statement. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called it a "direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers" that "is going to get someone killed."

Her comments come amid mass protests and violent clashes between demonstrators and ICE agents, as federal law enforcement agencies have launched a nationwide crackdown against illegal immigrants.

Tensions escalated in Minnesota earlier this month after an ICE agent in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good, 37, who allegedly tried to run over federal agents with her SUV.

While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agents, saying Good was trying to use her vehicle to kill an officer in an act of "domestic terrorism," Democratic leaders have called the woman's killing unjustified. The shooting sparked protests, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey telling ICE to "get the f**k out" of the city.

The Pentagon has since placed 1,500 active-duty troops on standby for possible deployment to the state. The Justice Department has launched a criminal probe into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Frey, accusing them of conspiring to impede federal agents. 

US President Donald Trump has also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act if "corrupt politicians" don't stop "professional agitators and insurrectionists" from attacking ICE agents.