ARIZONA SENATE PRESIDENT PETERSEN SUPPORTS PINAL COUNTY ATTORNEY BRAD MILLER'S FIGHT TO DEPORT DANGEROUS ILLEGAL CRIMINALS

Florence, AZ - Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen filed a brief in support of Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller's fight to work with ICE to find and deport dangerous illegal criminals from Pinal County. Petersen argued that A.R.S. § 11-1051 reflects the Legislature’s clear intent to prevent local agencies, like the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff, from restricting immigration enforcement below “the full extent permitted by federal law.” The Legislature deliberately applied the law to any “official or agency” of the state or its political subdivisions, including counties, cities, and towns. This was to prevent the Board of Supervisors from blocking another county entity from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Petersen’s filing further argues that allowing disputes to restrict cooperation would undermine the Legislature’s stated policy supporting “cooperative enforcement of federal immigration laws throughout all of Arizona.” The filing was submitted April 15, 2026, in the ongoing litigation involving the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and Sheriff against Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller regarding the county attorney’s cooperation agreement with federal immigration authorities.