Arizona Senator Analise Ortiz Faces Backlash After She Posts ICE Locations

With the Trump administration ramping up ICE raids across the U.S., Latinx and undocumented communities have been feeling increased fear for their safety. Arizona Senator Analise Ortiz is taking a stand against ICE raids in her state by posting their location and activity, and despite backlash and attacks from Arizona Republicans and far-right social media groups, this Latina lawmaker refuses to back down. When Ortiz saw masked immigration agents outside near Southwest Elementary School, the 32-year-old Democrat, who represents Maryvale and parts of Glendale, took to Instagram on Tuesday, August 5 to warn her community of their presence and protect them from harassment, intimidation, and profiling. After her post, far-right social media group Libs of TikTok took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to accuse Ortiz of “impeding and doxxing ICE” and call for her to be charged by the federal government.

Following Libs of TikTok’s now viral post on X, the Arizona State Senator has faced death threats and calls for her expulsion from the Legislature, and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has requested a federal investigation on her while Republican Senator Jake Hoffman announced plans to file an ethics complaint on X. Despite the calls for her to be investigated for allegedly violating federal law, legal experts say that Ortiz’s alerts are protected under the First Amendment. In an interview with 12News on Wednesday, Aug. 6, the self-described Latina activist said she plans to continue alerting her community of ICE’s presence in the area:

“This is about ICE targeting school kids and their parents. I was simply trying to let families who go to that school know to stay home for the day if they are at risk, and right now, all of us are at risk,” Ortiz told 12News, the news station in Phoenix, “This is a protected First Amendment right that I have… but we need to remember the people who are really suffering here.”

Refusing to back down or bend to criticism, the Latina senator responded to Libs of TikTok on X, making it clear that she isn’t afraid of “Trump’s masked goons.” Additionally, she went on 91.5 KJZZ’s “The Show” to speak on the situation. In the interview, she spoke about how the reaction to her post and escalation by Arizona Republicans is a “politically motivated attack” and said that it’s more important now than ever to stand up for our communities:

“There’s no place for this type of political violence in a free and fair democracy… I believe Arizonans deserve to know what their government is doing in their communities,” Ortiz told KJZZ. “They are trying to send a message to chill free speech and to keep people afraid. And that’s why I find it so important to be speaking out right now, given my platform, even though I am facing death threats, even though I have had constant harassment. We can’t be afraid and back down in this moment.”