Arizona FIRE: A Sovereign Response to Federal Failure

When a federal government is exposed—whether through its deference to private profiteers or its complicity in human exploitation—to be trafficking children, it surrenders both the legal and moral authority to dictate immigration policy. Arizona will not wait for Washington to catch up to conscience.

Under the Families’ Immigrant Rights & Empowerment (FIRE) initiative, my administration will restore true sovereignty to our state by protecting children, uplifting families, and reorienting public policy around dignity and shared prosperity. Here’s what Arizona FIRE will do and how we will do it.

• Human dignity first. Every person who reaches our communities deserves basic respect, safety, and protection—especially children and trafficking victims.
• Transparent accountability. Federal secrecy and private profiteering must not stand between victims and justice. Citizen-led oversight and public transparency are non-negotiable.
• Sovereignty through compassion. True state sovereignty is measured by our ability to protect the vulnerable and build resilient communities—not by how harshly we punish.
• Prosperity without scarcity. Artificial scarcity is a policy choice, not a natural condition. We will invest in housing, healthcare, education, and community services so fear cannot be weaponized against our neighbors.

When a federal agency demonstrates willingness to hide behind secrecy or to prioritize enforcement over care, the people must step in.

As Governor, I will use every lawful tool available to limit ICE’s operational authority within Arizona. Under Arizona FIRE we will:

• Enact state-level protections that end collaboration with federal immigration enforcement where it compromises child protection or obscures trafficking investigations.
• Create a state-led, citizen-governed oversight body to receive and investigate allegations of trafficking and abuse—working in partnership with independent prosecutors, NGOs, and victims’ advocates to ensure impartiality.
• Require public reporting and full transparency for any enforcement actions that touch Arizona residents, with criminal penalties for concealment or obstruction.

These measures are not about refusing to enforce the law; they are about refusing to be complicit in systems that shield traffickers, exploit children, or use immigrants as bargaining chips in political theater..

Arizona will be a place of refuge for families fleeing the blowback of interventions in Latin America and the broader hemisphere. Our approach will be humane, efficient, and rooted in community care.

We will:

• Establish an Arizona Sanctuary Network that coordinates legal aid, housing pathways, trauma-informed care, and expedited family reunification services.
• Fund community-based organizations to provide culturally competent support and language access, ensuring survivors of trafficking and families seeking safety can navigate systems without fear.
• Partner with universities, hospitals, and legal clinics to create a rapid-response assistance pipeline for those most vulnerable.

Hospitality isn’t a weakness—it is the moral and practical answer to chaos created by decades of foreign policy miscalculation.

Too often, scarcity is manufactured: cut beds here, cap benefits there, and watch fear spread. Under Arizona FIRE we will reverse that calculation.

Key investments include:

• Housing: aggressively expand affordable housing and emergency shelter capacity so no family is pushed to the margins. We will prioritize housing solutions for trafficking survivors and families in crisis.
• Healthcare: ensure access to trauma care, mental health services, and maternal-child health for all residents—regardless of immigration status—so children and families receive the care they need to heal and thrive.
• Education and workforce access: create pathways for newcomers to enter the workforce legally and safely, enroll children in school immediately, and fund vocational programs that expand economic opportunity for all Arizonans.

Economic evidence is clear: communities that invest in people are stronger, more resilient, and more prosperous long term. We will make that investment.

Arizona FIRE is designed to be actionable and lawful. Implementation will include:

• State legislation to enshrine protections, establish oversight structures, and fund the services outlined above.
• Strategic litigation to defend Arizona’s right to protect its residents where federal actions undermine public safety or conceal trafficking.
• Executive action to immediately divert state resources away from non-consensual collaboration with federal enforcement and toward victim services and community supports.
• Citizen oversight board composed of survivors, legal experts, child welfare professionals, and community leaders to review cases, recommend policy changes, and publish regular transparency reports.

All actions will be undertaken with a clear commitment to rule of law, robust legal counsel, and a guiding principle: when federal power facilitates exploitation, state power must protect.

Arizona FIRE rejects false choices: protecting children is not at odds with economic stability. Deportation-as-policy, deployed indiscriminately, harms families and our economy—while empowering the very actors who exploit vulnerability.

Our plan replaces fear with programs, punishment with protection, and secrecy with democratic oversight. We will not cede moral authority to institutions that profit from suffering. Instead, we will build a state that stands with survivors, supports families, and offers a path to shared prosperity.