Key Points:

• Sen. Analise Ortiz faces social media backlash for posting the location of ICE agents

• Senate President Warren Petersen referred the issue to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona

• Ortiz’s supporters praised her for protecting the community and defending her First Amendment rights

An Instagram story shared by Sen. Analise Ortiz alerting residents to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a Phoenix neighborhood sparked a viral war of words on social media and calls for an investigation from the Senate president.

Ortiz posted on her Instagram account on Aug. 5 that ICE agents were in the area near Southwest Elementary School in South Phoenix.

That prompted a response from social media account Libs of TikTok, which posted on X that Ortiz was impeding and doxing ICE agents and should be charged.

The issue then exploded on X, with critics condemning Ortiz for sharing the locations of the agents and supporters defending her First Amendment rights and praising her for protecting the community.

Ortiz said on X she would not be intimidated by President Donald Trump’s “masked goons.”

Senate President Warren Petersen released a statement disapproving of Ortiz’s comments and saying he referred the issue to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona for investigation.

“Senator Ortiz is fortunate the Legislature is not currently in session, as her remarks would no doubt face significant scrutiny from her colleagues,” Petersen said in the statement. “Public servants have a duty to uphold the law and respect those who enforce it, not undermine them.”

Sen. Jake Hoffman said on X that he would file an ethics complaint against Ortiz.

Petersen’s comments drew a response from Attorney General Kris Mayes, who criticized him for using his position to “threaten and intimidate” Ortiz.

“That’s not leadership—it’s bullying. I know he’s only been a lawyer for a year and a half but he needs a CLE on the Bill of Rights,” Mayes said on X.

Mayes launched an inquiry of her own on August 8  when she sent a letter to Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller after he said on a radio show that he was willing to serve as a special prosecutor if the state legislature launched an investigation into Ortiz for obstruction of justice.

Miller said Thursday on “The Afternoon Addiction with Garret Lewis” that posting ICE’s location wasn’t protected by the First Amendment because Ortiz was aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime.

He then said he would’ve investigated Ortiz if the incident had happened in Pinal County.

“But I will also offer this … if our Arizona state legislators would like an investigation into this particular matter, let them know I’m free,” he said.

Mayes responded in the letter by posing a series of questions to Miller regarding why he thought he could volunteer himself to the legislature and investigate crimes in another county, and on what basis he concluded Ortiz was obstructing justice.

Mayes also reminded Miller that she’s the “chief legal officer of the state” with supervisory powers over the county attorneys.

“I find it concerning that you expressed a willingness to use your office to prosecute an elected Arizona State Senator in what appears to be in excess of your constitutional and statutory authority,” Mayes said in the letter.

She wants Miller to provide a report with answers to her questions by Aug. 15.

Miller said in a statement on X that he would respond to Mayes’ letter next week.

“I cannot and will not stay silent when anyone makes the dangerous job of being a law enforcement officer more dangerous. The First Amendment was never meant to protect criminal activity or aiding criminal activity,” he said on X.

Ortiz’s posts also caught the attention of the federal government, with the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying in a statement to the Arizona Capitol Times that Ortiz’s actions were weakening national security and “certainly looks like obstruction of justice.”

Ortiz said the reactions from Petersen, Hoffman and others who oppose her are just intimidation tactics intended to deter her from speaking out against ICE activity in neighborhoods.

“I feel as though it’s pathetic that they are pandering to these far right extremist trolls on Twitter,” she said. “That’s the only reason they’re doing this is because Libs of TikTok put this out and got 5,000 likes, and they thought, ‘Oh, we can capitalize off this too.’”

Ortiz said she’s had to take precautions to protect herself and her family due to threats she received, but will continue to notify residents of the presence of ICE agents in their neighborhoods.

She has been among the most outspoken critics of the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts and the tactics of ICE agents who wear masks during arrests.

In May, Ortiz joined a group of Democratic lawmakers and activists at the Phoenix immigration court to protest the arrests of people who arrived for court hearings. She also worked with groups such as Puente Arizona and the Borderlands Resource Initiative to train volunteers, inform individuals of their rights, and accompany them to their hearings.

“My intention has always been alerting my community about ICE activity so people who are at risk can stay home and keep themselves safe,” she said. “This is especially important when Trump’s masked thugs are terrorizing people, both documented and undocumented.”