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A Democratic state lawmaker tipping off ICE operations in her community could be hit with obstruction-of-justice charges, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital.
After Democratic Arizona state Senator Analise Ortiz admitted on social media to alerting her community about ICE movements, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the lawmaker is choosing illegal criminals over American citizens.
“Arizona state Senator Analise Ortiz is siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals over American citizens,” said McLaughlin.
“Notifying the public about ICE law enforcement operations endangers law enforcement and weakens American national security,” she went on.
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In response to Fox News Digital’s question about whether Ortiz could face charges, McLaughlin answered, “This certainly looks like obstruction of justice.”
She pointed to DHS statistics that ICE officers are currently facing an 830 percent increase in assaults.
“The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” said McLaughlin. “Make no mistake, sanctuary politicians like Arizona Senator Analise Ortiz are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE.”
This comes after popular conservative social media page “Libs of TikTok” blasted Ortiz for posting alerts on her account giving updates on ICE operations in the area. Libs of TikTok posted a screenshot, indicating it belonged to Ortiz, that warned in English and Spanish, “ICE is present.” The post also gave the location of the federal officials’ whereabouts.
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Libs of TikTok wrote, “Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz (D) is actively impeding and doxxing ICE by posting their live locations on instagram.” The account urged Border Czar Tom Homan, the DHS and ICE to file charges against Ortiz.
In response, Ortiz admitted to alerting her community about ICE activity, saying, “Yep. When ICE is around, I will alert my community to stay out of the area.”
Seemingly in response to the Libs of TikTok’s call for charges against her, Ortiz also wrote, “I’m not f*****g scared of you nor Trump’s masked goons.”
After the comment, Arizona Senate Warren Petersen, a Republican, issued a statement reprimanding Ortiz: “Public servants have a duty to uphold the law and respect those who enforce it, not undermine them.”
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Petersen said he had referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona for investigation “as it appears she may be in violation of federal law.”
Ortiz has remained defiant, writing in an X post, “I will not be intimidated. I will alert our community to avoid the area when Trump’s masked thugs terrorize us all, regardless of citizenship. Trump doesn’t respect our laws nor our constitution. My duty is to keep people safe from his unconstitutional and authoritarian actions.”
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