MCRC Says It’s About the Platform. Everett Says It’s About Humanity.
An act of advocacy over an ICE detention has turned into a party controversy, prompting MCRC-EGC to censure and launch an investigation into the LD29 chair.
The Maricopa County Republican Committee- Executive Guidance Committee (MCRC) voted to censure Lisa Everett, the elected chair of Legislative District 29, over her involvement in supporting Kelly Yu, a Peoria restaurant owner detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The censure, approved 23–6, followed Everett’s August visit to the Eloy Detention Center, where she met with Yu alongside Brent Peak, a Democrat and co-chair of Northwest Valley Indivisible. The bipartisan visit drew criticism from within the district and the county party, with some Republican precinct committeemen calling it a breach of party discipline.
According to MCRC officials, a committee has been established to examine the issue and assess whether disciplinary action is appropriate.


Who is Kelly Yu?
Kelly Yu, who owns Kawaii Sushi & Asian Cuisine in Glendale and Peoria, has been detained since May 2025. Yu fled China decades ago and built a life and business in Arizona. Supporters, including Everett, have said her deportation would separate her from her U.S.-born daughter and devastate a long-established family business.
Everett said her advocacy for Yu was rooted in what she described as “a humanitarian concern, not a political one.” In a newsletter to LD29 precinct members, she described the detention facility as “sterile, hot, and joyless,” and said Yu “still shines as a light of compassion.”
Everett’s involvement quickly captured statewide media attention, propelling the issue into public view.
The Censure Vote
The MCRC resolution accused Everett of aligning with a “left-wing” activist group, contradicting national Republican immigration priorities, and bringing “undue scrutiny” on the local party. It also called on her to resign as district chair.
Party members who supported the measure said their decision was not about Yu personally, but about maintaining unity and adherence to conservative principles on border enforcement.
“This wasn’t about showing kindness—it was about consistency,” one LD29 precinct leader said privately, explaining that Everett’s public involvement in Yu’s case could be seen as undermining the party’s platform on immigration.
Everett has declined to step down, saying she acted in good conscience. She called the censure a “badge of honor” and maintains she did not violate any party rules or misuse district resources.
“I’m not understanding how deporting Kelly Yu is going to help America,” Everett said. “I only see it hurting America.”
MCRC’s Official Response
In an official statement online, the Maricopa County Republican Committee said it received “well over 100 formal complaints from Republicans across the Valley and state” and “condemnation from Republicans across the country” regarding Everett’s conduct.
“The MCRC is a private organization, and we not only have the right, but the responsibility to hold our members and their leaders accountable to the organization’s platform,” the committee said. “Ms. Everett dishonored the Republican Party Platform in multiple areas and exhibited behaviors unacceptable to Republican standards.”
The statement quoted directly from the Republican Party Platform’s Chapter Two, which calls for border security and deportation enforcement:
“President Trump and Republicans will reverse the Democrats’ destructive Open Borders Policies… The Republican Party is committed to sending Illegal Aliens back home and removing those who have violated our laws.”
The committee said Everett’s cooperation with Indivisible, a group known for organizing progressive protests, was a direct violation of those principles:
“Lisa’s decision to join forces with radical leftist organizations like Indivisible who call for protests which malign our President and Congressmen Biggs and Hamadeh violate the Republican Party Platform… and to make matters worse, she did so while distinguishing herself by using her party position and title.”
The MCRC also cited internal disputes, accusing Everett of filing lawsuits against fellow members:
“Lisa Everett’s decision to wage lawfare in our public courts against multiple fellow members of this body, in an effort to silence them and ban them from public forums, based on political disagreements and discord is unacceptable.”
The statement concluded by reaffirming the committee’s support for Trump’s immigration agenda and its authority to hold members accountable:
“We proudly stand by our decision to support our President’s immigration policy, defend our members from leftist attacks and unjust lawfare, and hold our leadership accountable.”
What Exactly Is A Censure?
The censure adds Everett’s name to a growing list of Arizona Republicans who have faced disciplinary action from their own party in recent years, including Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and former Recorder Stephen Richer.
MCRC officials say the action reflects their commitment to maintaining consistency with the party’s platform. Supporters of Everett argue it highlights a narrowing tolerance for dissenting voices within GOP leadership ranks.
A censure is a formal statement of disapproval passed by a political party’s governing body — in this case, MCRC.
It carries no legal penalty and does not remove an elected district officer from their position. Instead, it serves as a public reprimand, signaling that the individual’s actions or statements are inconsistent with party principles or leadership expectations.
Censures are adopted through a vote of the county’s executive guidance committee or precinct committeemen. They typically include a written resolution outlining the reasons for the rebuke and may call for resignation or corrective action.
While largely symbolic, a censure can have practical effects: it can influence relationships with donors, diminish an official’s standing within party leadership circles, take away access to MCRC meetings and shape how other districts or statewide organizations interact with them.
Everett Responds: “I Will Not Be Silent”
In September, shortly after the censure, LD29 Chair Lisa Everett issued a detailed written statement to State 48 News addressing each allegation in the MCRC resolution, defending her actions and accusing party leaders of hypocrisy, harassment, and double standards.
Everett began by challenging the claim that she “partnered with Brent Peak, the leader of the ultra-left wing West Valley Indivisible organization.” She called that characterization “so wrong on so many levels,” adding that “working across the aisle should always be the goal in a functioning republic.”
She pointed to bipartisan efforts in Congress to ban insider trading among lawmakers as an example of how cooperation restores public trust. “That’s the kind of legislation Americans want to see. That is how laws get passed, and that is how trust in government is restored,” she said.
Everett also accused the committee of hypocrisy for supporting GOP State Chair Gina Swoboda after Swoboda’s remarks about PBS funding, which diverged from Trump’s platform. “The double standard could not be more clear,” Everett wrote, adding, “I strongly support Gina Swoboda.”
Defense of Kelly Yu
Everett defended her involvement in the case of Kelly Yu, the Peoria business owner detained by ICE. She said Yu “has been actively seeking U.S. citizenship for 21 years” and fled China “to avoid a forced abortion — something that should strike at the heart of anyone who claims to be pro-life.”
“As a Catholic, I cannot comprehend how so many Catholics at the MCRC and across America can so blatantly ignore the Catechism in this matter,” Everett wrote. “Crossing the border 21 years ago was a civil offense, punishable by a fine — not a felony.”
She argued that Yu’s story “forces us to reckon with our principles: are we really pro-life and pro-family, or are we only pro-life when it’s convenient?”
Freedom of Expression and Double Standards
Everett disputed the allegation that she misused her title in media interviews. She said she had already agreed not to use her position out of respect for MCRC leadership but called the enforcement inconsistent.
“When Senator John Fetterman stands with Republicans on supporting Israel, he doesn’t omit his title,” she wrote. “When Kyrsten Sinema voted with Republicans do you think she said I am doing this as a private citizen not as a senator? No, she publicly disagreed with her party and took her lumps. The difference is she did not get censured.”
She said titles matter because “they represent the responsibility and trust given by the people who elected us, and that should not be dismissed simply because our position happens to align with those some may not expect.”
On Immigration Policy
Everett rejected the charge that she defied President Trump’s immigration policy. “President Trump said he would deport the worst of the worst. Kelly Yu is not the worst of the worst,” she wrote. “There is a world of difference between the so-called ‘Maryland Man’ who makes headlines for violent crimes and a hardworking Peoria mom who has spent decades trying to do things the right way.”
Harassment Allegations and Legal Actions
Addressing claims that she filed injunctions and complaints against precinct committeemen, Everett said the actions were necessary for safety, not retaliation.
“Being an LD Chair does not mean I have to sit back and allow myself to be harassed or physically assaulted,” she wrote. “An injunction does not prevent someone from attending a public meeting. What it does prevent is harassment: cornering someone in public, shoving a phone in their face, calling them names, and escalating into physical assault.”
Everett described ongoing confrontations at local meetings, including an alleged assault at a Dysart School Board meeting and what she called “toxic and destructive behavior” from a small group within LD 29. She said she has had to be escorted to her car by law enforcement after meetings. “No one should be subjected to harassment and intimidation simply for participating in public meetings,” she said.
Financial Disputes
In response to allegations of misusing district funds, Everett said she paid her own service fees. “The charge being made against me is so absurd it would almost be laughable if it weren’t so disruptive,” she said.
She explained that a friend’s $14.87 donation to the district was equal to her copying costs and made “as a lighthearted way to demonstrate just how ridiculous the Treasurer is being.”
Everett added that the amend function on reporting software exists “to correct errors if you are waiting on information or if a mistake is made,” calling the accusation “manufactured outrage intended to create division.”
Refusal to Resign
Everett rejected calls for her resignation, calling them politically motivated. “I will not be resigning,” she continued. “I have received too many calls from good, hardworking PCs who are exhausted by the constant drama and division.”
As the dust settles on the censure vote, attention now turns to what comes next.
The MCRC has formed a committee to review the matter and determine whether additional disciplinary action is warranted.
Everett, meanwhile, continues to serve as LD29 chair and maintains that her actions were guided by conscience, not politics.
As election season approaches, the question now is whether MCRC and LD29 can move past the controversy and find a path forward.
"Hard cases make bad law" is an old legal proverb. This is one of them, but either we follow the law or we don't. Not always a simple choice.