Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays has criticized major immigration policies, including the establishment of deportation camps on Arizona soil and efforts to remove thousands of “Dreamers” who came to the United States as immigrants. He vowed to fight the incoming Trump administration over these aspects. children.
In an interview with the Guardian, Mays said President Donald Trump’s actions in his second term to strip Dreamers of their right to remain and work in the United States “would be a red line for me.” I will not tolerate any attempt to deport them or undermine them. ”
Arizona, a key border state on the front lines of the fight over President Trump’s mass deportation plan, is home to more than 30,000 Dreamers, people who entered the U.S. illegally as children, but who are still living in the U.S. as children. There are more than 30,000 undocumented immigrants entitled to rights under Deferred Action for Arrivals (Daka). The plan was introduced by Barack Obama in 2012, but has since come under relentless attack by Republicans.
“I’m definitely going to fight for the Dreamers,” Mays said. “These people are firefighters, police officers, teachers. They are part of the very fabric of our nation, and we will protect them.”
Trump tried to repeal Daka protections during his first term as president, but was only blocked by a narrow U.S. Supreme Court ruling. He recently softened his stance, telling NBC News that he wanted to find a way for Dreamers to stay in the country, but the apparent U-turn has left many skeptical of his intentions. .
The Daka plan has already been challenged in lawsuits by Republican states and is currently being heard by the ultra-conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is almost certain to reach the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 supermajority of right-wing justices.
Despite the hurdles dreamers face, Mays said she remains optimistic.
“I think ultimately the Supreme Court will decide on the merits of protecting them. We want to give the court the opportunity to make the right decision here, and we intend to make a very strong argument on the proposal.” ” she said.
Arizona’s attorney general also had strong words about President Trump’s efforts to build detention camps in Arizona as part of his plan to mass deport millions of illegal immigrants. Her army of lawyers also said they were prepared to block any move to reinstate the family separation policy, in which thousands of children are separated from their parents at the Mexican border as part of a “zero tolerance” strategy.
“If Trump tries to separate families or build mass deportation camps, I will fight back with all my legal strength. That is not happening in Arizona or on our soil.” she said.
Mays added that the fact that up to 1,000 families are still separated from their apartments six years later because of family separation is “fundamentally repugnant to the Arizonan people.”
Mays and his team have been preparing for months for the whirlwind of activity expected as soon as President Trump re-enters the White House on January 20th. In her words, they “vetted” Project 2025, the right-wing strategy for Trump’s second term put together by the Heritage Foundation.
He also works closely with other Democratic state attorneys general, noting that he litigated more than 100 lawsuits between them during the Trump administration, winning 80% of them.
“One of our strengths is that we’re doing this very collaboratively and we’re united and organized,” Mays said.
When it comes to border issues, the importance of cross-state cooperation is likely to become even more important.
Mays is aligned with Democrats Rob Bonta of California and Raul Torres of New Mexico, and only Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken a completely different anti-immigrant approach. He said he is doing so.
“Three of the four border states have Democratic attorneys general, and we will fight for due process and individual rights,” she explained.
A complicating factor is Proposition 314, a ballot measure that passed in Arizona with an overwhelming 63% approval rating in November. This would allow state police to arrest illegal immigrants who enter the United States at other than legal ports of entry.
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Mays said the decision does not prevent him from resisting President Trump’s unconstitutional moves.
“Proposition 314 tells us that Arizonans are tired of our dysfunctional border,” she says.
“Our state faces a serious fentanyl crisis, and there is no question that Arizonans want to see a solution to the border issue. But when Arizonans voted for Donald Trump, they I strongly believe that I did not vote to discard the Constitution of Arizona and the United States.”
What was needed at the border was more federal resources to strengthen Border Patrol operations on the ground, strengthen fentanyl detection, and strengthen drug cartel busting. What was not needed, Mays argued, was President Trump’s blackmail plan to send in the National Guard and even the U.S. military to act as an enhanced deportation force.
“There is nothing more un-American than using the military against Americans,” she said. “This is clearly unconstitutional and not what Arizonans want.”
Since being elected Arizona’s top law enforcement official in 2022, Mays has established himself as a rising star in the Democratic Party who can negotiate the sometimes difficult politics of the border state. Her most high-profile act was in April, when she indicted 18 people, including Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former chief of staff Mark Meadows, for participating in the 2020 “fake elector” conspiracy. It was time.
A similar false elector charge in Georgia was recently overturned after an appeals court disbarred Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis, who handled the case.
Mays told the Guardian that he has no intention of dropping the fake elector lawsuit despite Trump’s victory in November. “These indictments were handed down by a state grand jury, and justice cannot be served by a popular vote. This case is now in court and will continue until it is concluded.”
Such a high-profile indictment could put Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for FBI director, in the crosshairs. If Patel is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she has announced that she will pursue retaliatory investigations against Trump’s perceived enemies.
Mr. Mays did not want to discuss Mr. Patel’s nomination. But she said: I’m going to do my job, uphold the law, and protect Arizonans. No matter who takes command of the FBI, I’m going to do it. ”
