Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier ripped Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes in an appearance Monday on Newsmax after she said "stand your ground" laws could apply to encounters with masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"Directing people to stand their ground against law enforcement that are validly enforcing the law? That is wrong and that is unlawful," Uthmeier said on "Finnerty."
"These leftist officials, they are fanning the flame. They're trying to incite violence."
In an interview last week, Mayes suggested residents could use lethal force against masked ICE agents under the state's "stand your ground" law.
"It's kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks," Mayes told 12News on Monday, calling ICE "very poorly trained."
"And we have a stand your ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger, and you're in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force," Mayes added.
Uthmeier said his state doesn't have issues like Arizona has.
"We're leading the country with thousands and thousands of people getting detained and deported: criminal aliens, murderers, rapists, traffickers," Uthmeier said.
"We're doing it well because we're coordinating our state and local officials. They work with ICE," he added.
"We want to enforce the law, stand by President [Donald] Trump, and get the job done."
When pressed by 12News reporter Brahm Resnik, who suggested her remarks could be read as a "license to an individual to shoot," Mayes rejected that interpretation.
"Absolutely not ... but again, if you're being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know?"
Mayes identified herself as a gun owner.
"If somebody comes at me wearing a mask, and I can't tell whether they're a police officer, what am I supposed to do?" she asked.
"It's got all the makings for, you know, shootout at the O.K. Corral all over again."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.