Arizona Senate majority leader blasts Phoenix resolution limiting ICE operations

By Zachery Schmidt
The Center Square

Arizona Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh is criticizing the city of Phoenix for its resolution restricting federal immigration enforcement.

Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, told The Center Square that Phoenix’s resolution limiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city is “illegal” and “grandstanding virtue signaling.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the Phoenix City Council will vote on a resolution requiring federal law enforcement to obtain the city’s prior approval before conducting law enforcement activity. The meeting is set for 2:30 p.m. Mountain time and will live-stream at phoenix.gov.

The resolution says federal law enforcement can’t use city property for staging operations, processing detainees or executing civil law enforcement operations without the approval of the city manager.

The resolution notes it does not restrict federal law enforcement when executing a judicial warrant, an emergency circumstance or an ongoing pursuit.

If approved, the resolution would not apply to federal law enforcement conducting operations on public streets and at airports and the Phoenix Municipal Court.

The resolution would require Phoenix officials to identify which city-owned properties federal law enforcement has used before and might decide to use again.

After doing this, the city would be required to install signs on identified properties stating that federal law enforcement can’t use them for civil enforcement without permission.

On top of all this, the resolution requires all city departments to appoint a point of contact and establish a process for reporting violations of federal law enforcement agencies unlawfully using city-owned land.

The resolution would remain in effect until March 25, 2029, if passed by the city council.

The Center Square reached out Tuesday to the city of Phoenix, but did not hear back by press time.

Kavanaugh told The Center Square that Arizona law requires all government entities to cooperate with ICE to enforce “immigration law to the fullest extent allowed by federal law.”

He said what the city of Phoenix is attempting to do is “meaningless.”

“ICE is not going to listen to them. They have no control over what ICE does in public places, so they can’t even prevent that. This is pandering for votes,” the majoity leader said.

Kavanagh explained the city should be “using money to assist ICE in enforcing immigration laws as Arizona law permits.”

According to Kavanagh, illegal immigration “is a big negative.”

“[Illegal immigrants] take away jobs from legal residents. They lower the prevailing wage in certain occupations. They commit crimes that would never be committed were they not here in the first place, and they’re a drain on public services,” he explained.

The senator noted the Arizona Legislature could file a complaint that could potentially remove Phoenix’s portion of state-shared revenue if the city passes the resolution.

But Kavanagh added, “ICE is going to rightfully and legally ignore all of this grandstanding, so it’s not going to make any difference.”