GOP targets Arizona senator for sharing ICE sightings with community members

Arizona State Sen. Analise Ortiz, a progressive Democrat who represents west Phoenix, has long used social media as a means to inform and communicate with her constituents. Whether that be to uplift her and her colleagues’ core issues during election season, to inform local residents of the impact of decisions made in Washington D.C., or to share resources at times of crises, like the one that currently targets working Latino and immigrant communities of Arizona.

Since President Donald Trump regained control of the White House in January, Ortiz has continued to use TikTok, Instagram, X and other social platforms to reach voters and non-voters alike, distributing information that she considers necessary for all of her constituents to remain safe at a time when the federal government has granted national and state agencies free range to use racial profiling as its primary tactic to enforce immigration law.

That includes pulling up outside courthouses where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are being observed taking people away and reposting credible sightings of agents in different Phoenix neighborhoods.

It’s ruffled feathers at the state Legislature and at a national level, where public officials are calling for investigations and charges to be brought against the state senator, but not without the incident bringing forth a legion of First Amendment rights defenders and calling into question the hypocrisy in full display from the Trump administration.

“This all started when I simply shared a community organization's alert that ICE was outside an elementary school, an act that is well-protected by my First Amendment right. I believe kids should be able to go to school without fearing they will be separated from their parents. In this case, two parents were, in fact, taken by ICE,” Ortiz said in an emailed statement shared with CALÓ News.

It began with an Aug. 5 post on X from the far-right, conservative account Libs of TikTok — which has a history of doxxing activists, politicians and researchers — showing a screenshot of an Instagram story post that Ortiz shared from the account Phoenix Rapid Response detailing immigration enforcement activity in the Valley. In the X post, the conservative group accused Ortiz of doxxing ICE agents and impeding their operation.

Ortiz quickly clapped back, saying she would continue to keep her community informed.

Hours later, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen released a statement in which he condemned Ortiz’s actions and called for an investigation from the U.S. District Attorney’s office, adding that the senator “is fortunate the Legislature is not currently in session, as her remarks would no doubt face significant scrutiny from her colleagues.”

To which Ortiz responded, “I will not be intimidated. I will alert our community to avoid the area when Trump’s masked thugs terrorize us all, regardless of citizenship. Trump doesn’t respect our laws nor our constitution. My duty is to keep people safe from his unconstitutional and authoritarian actions.”

Since last Tuesday, numerous local, state and federal public officials and institutions have emerged in defense of Ortiz’s actions, including Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, saying she is exercising her First Amendment right in doing so.

"These intimidation tactics are further proof that Trump's GOP will weaponize the legal system to attack political opponents for protected speech. It further erodes trust in our institutions and it's dangerous for democracy,” Ortiz said in a statement.

Phoenix councilwoman Anna Hernandez, a former state senator, also condemned the response from Arizona Senate Republicans, saying, “Someone explain to them how informing our community of the presence of masked thugs that are terrorizing our communities at the direction of Trump and his goon squad does not in fact violate federal law,” referring to increased immigration raids being carried out by typically masked agents traveling in unmarked vehicles who have been caught on film consistently failing to identify themselves when arresting people.

The elevated raids stem from the 3,000 daily arrest quota requested in May by the Trump administration. Since then, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations have increased by 250%, according to a CBS News analysis of data provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Of the more than 59,000 detained, only about 8% had been convicted of violent crimes.

In Arizona, detentions have increased by about 113%, resulting in over 2,900 arrests since Jan. 20, a New York Times analysis shows.

“Arizonans have a right to know how ICE is acting in our communities in plain sight. Under tremendous pressure to meet quotas, Trump’s masked thugs are terrorizing everyone, including U.S. citizens, green card holders and Dreamers,” Ortiz said. “Trump has made clear he does not respect our laws, our immigration process, nor our constitution. I have a duty to keep my community safe from these unconstitutional  and authoritarian actions.”

Puente Human Rights Movement, a Phoenix-based mutual aid and rapid response network, started organizing the minute Trump was re-elected. By December, the Know Your Rights red cards that have symbolized the educational organizing against Trump’s mass deportation machine were being distributed widely across Phoenix. By January, workshops for impacted community members and accompaniment trainings were being hosted at different locations across the city. The goal? Help those who would eventually become the target of the incoming president defend themselves, their loved ones and their community when ICE came knocking.

When federal and immigration agents began roaming city streets, picking up those they considered suspicious of being in the country without authorization, the Phoenix Rapid Response network emerged, informing residents of ICE sightings across the Valley.

At every step of this community-rooted organizing process, social media played a crucial role — to get the word out about workshops, to distribute flyers and guides on how to act when ICE stops you on the road, and to avoid certain areas if immigration and DHS agents were seen nearby.

It’s a tactic seen across the U.S., especially in heavily targeted cities like Los Angeles, and one that Ortiz, given her years of experience and understanding of how social media can be used as an organizing platform, has used with increased success. 

It comes at a tremendous personal cost, she said, but she has no plans of backing down.

“Senate President Warren Petersen has fanned the flames of extremists who have threatened my life and my personal safety, all for daring to inform people that masked, armed men were in a neighborhood as kids walked to school. They want to establish a secret police force that acts with impunity and they want people punished for holding different political views. Petersen's baseless attack shows the lengths the GOP will go to further cement their authoritarian grasp on our democracy,” she said.