Kolodin: “Arizona stands with ICE and the rule of law”
Legislators join Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller for press conference on public safety, accountability, and enforcement of federal immigration law.
“Arizona stands with the rule of law. We stand with President Trump. And we proudly stand with ICE!” - State Representative Alex Kolodin(R-3)and Candidate for Secretary of State.
State Rep. Alex Kolodin (R-3), a Republican candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, delivered a pro-ICE, pro-Trump speech Monday at a “Stand With ICE” event at the Arizona Capitol—an event that was met by loud counterprotestors and was ultimately moved inside the Capitol complex so media could hear the speakers.
Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller hosted the press conference alongside members of the Arizona Legislature. Miller said the purpose was to address “public safety, accountability, and enforcement of federal immigration law.”
Organizers moved the event indoors as protests continued outdoors.
Miller announced he has drafted legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gillette, that would elevate interference with officers during a lawful arrest to a felony offense.
Kolodin, a declared candidate for secretary of state running against Democrat Adrian Fontes, framed immigration enforcement as a “rule of law” reset and used the event to elevate Trump border adviser Tom Homan while blasting Arizona Democrats.
He set the tone immediately: “Good morning, Arizona! We are here today, one year into the restoration of America, to say loud and clear: We Stand With ICE.”
He immediately tied that message to national politics, adding, “President Donald Trump is back in the White House, and finally, after four years of chaos, the rule of law has returned to the United States of America.”
Kolodin then praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents directly, saying, “We are here to thank the brave men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” and arguing they had been “demonized” and “prevented” from doing their jobs in prior years. He claimed a shift under Trump, stating, “But today, thanks to President Trump, ICE is doing what they were always meant to do—protecting our families.”
He also elaborated on Tom Homan’s role in enforcement policy, telling the crowd, “And no one fights harder than our Border Czar, Tom Homan,” adding that Homan “has delivered” and “has given ICE agents the backing they need to find, arrest, and remove the threats that have been hiding in our communities for too long.”
Kolodin’s remarks pivoted sharply from praise of federal enforcement to criticism of Arizona Democrats, describing what he called in-state obstruction. “But here is the reality we face in Arizona,” he said. “While Washington is finally doing its job, we have politicians right here at home doing everything they can to stop it.”
He then named Democratic officials and made sharp remarks as part of his broader argument that state-level Democrats are undermining enforcement: “Democrats like cartel lawyer Adrian Fontes,” he said, along with “Oscar De Los Santos” and “Senator Analise Ortiz—who we saw this year actually trying to tip off criminals and interfere with ICE operations.”
Kolodin continued, “Think about that. We have elected officials in Arizona actively trying to protect the cartels and criminals that ICE is trying to remove.”
Kolodin also claimed the immigration system was severely damaged during the Biden administration, stating, “America’s immigration system was broken by the 20 million illegals Joe Biden let in.” He claimed the consequences have been felt at the local level, saying the system “flooded our schools, strained our hospitals, raised our rents, and endangered our neighborhoods.”
Kolodin announced a key policy proposal:
“I am therefore calling for America to hit pause - with a moratorium on new immigration that will allow us to finish clearing the deportation backlog while we recalibrate and modernize our federal immigration laws to prioritize putting Arizonans and Americans first in this 21st-century global geopolitical environment.” He summarized that stance as: “We don’t need a system that works for foreign nationals. We need a system that works for you.”
Kolodin closed with a direct appeal to Trump and Homan: “Keep going. Don’t let the media slow you down. Don’t let the obstructionists in this building stop you,” before ending with his rallying line: “Arizona stands with the rule of law. We stand with President Trump. And we proudly stand with ICE!”
Video | MAAP Real Talk Show Media
Why Kolodin’s “Ortiz” line matters
Kolodin’s reference to Sen. Analise Ortiz lands in the middle of an ongoing statewide free-speech-versus-obstruction debate that erupted after Ortiz posted about ICE activity near a school in 2025—an episode that drew Republican complaints and heavy media attention. Ortiz has defended her actions as protected speech, while critics argued the posts could endanger agents or impede operations.
In early September 2025, Sen. Jake Hoffman (R–15) filed an ethics complaint against Ortiz, alleging “disorderly behavior” and a breach of the Senate’s public-trust standards tied to Ortiz’s social-media repost about ICE activity near a Phoenix-area school. Senate Ethics Committee Chair Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R–2) opened an ethics review and referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona for federal review, citing concerns the conduct could implicate federal law and potentially interfere with federal immigration enforcement operations. Neither the Senate Ethics Committee nor federal prosecutors have publicly released an outcome or announced any resulting action.
State 48 News contacted Ortiz but did not get a response before publication.
The press conference started with very loud counter-protesters. Kolodin summed it up perfectly:
“What a great country we live in. We saw the counter-protesters outside exercising their First Amendment rights, and I think it speaks greatly to the credit of the members of this body that we gave them the lawn so those citizens (and a few lobbyists) could exercise those First Amendment rights, while the members of this body can do so separately inside the building.”
