Republican Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman has filed an ethics complaint against Democratic state Sen. Analise Ortiz for sharing location information regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
“Senator Ortiz’s actions were not only reckless – they were dangerous,” Hoffman said in a statement on Wednesday. “By publicly posting alerts about federal law enforcement activity, she actively tipped off individuals being pursued by ICE, jeopardizing the safety of officers and law-abiding citizens.”
Hoffman filed the complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee on Tuesday, a month after Ortiz posted information about ICE activity in south Phoenix on her Instagram story.
Ortiz has criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, KTAR reported. She and other Democratic lawmakers in April walked out of a joint session of the state legislature while President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, gave an address.
The Democratic senator has said that sharing public information about law enforcement activity is protected by the First Amendment, similar to a traffic app alerting drivers to police presence on a highway.
“Masked, armed men showed up at a school in our community and I reshared a post to let my Instagram followers know,” Ortiz said after the ethics complaint was filed. “Now, Arizona Republicans are going to extreme levels of intimidation to block me from doing my job for the people of LD 24. They want police operations to happen in secret. They want Arizonans terrified to talk about what we are witnessing happening to our friends, family, and neighbors.
“The Trump administration is violating the constitution and we are bearing witness. These tactics are straight from the authoritarian playbook and eerily reflect the darkest moments in world history. The future of our democracy depends on bravery. I choose to remain brave.”
Meanwhile, Hoffman said, “Every law enforcement officer deserves to go home safe at the end of their shift. Every Arizona family deserves to know their elected leaders are protecting them, not siding with lawlessness.
“Senator Ortiz’s behavior crosses every line of ethics, professionalism, and basic decency. When an elected official openly undermines law enforcement, puts lives at risk, and erodes the rule of law, there must be accountability. The people of Arizona expect and deserve better.”
Hoffman’s complaint calls for Ortiz’s expulsion, or, at minimum, remove her from all committees and take away her office, parking space, administrative staff support, and unrestricted keycard access to the Senate building.
The state legislature is out of session until January, so it’s unclear when the Senate Ethics Committee might investigate and bring the issue to the Senate floor. Committee Chairwoman Shawnna Bolick (R) said she is taking Hoffman’s complaint “very seriously.”
Bolick sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about Hoffman’s allegations and asked for the case to be reviewed for possible violations of federal law.
“I am committed to ensuring that it is handled with the full weight of the law and the Constitution,” Bolick said. “Until then, the process remains with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, whose review will inform the committee’s next steps.”
Last month, Senate President Warren Petersen (R) said he referred the matter for investigation to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.
