Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin is throwing his support behind Sheriff Jerry Sheridan’s recent comments about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, backing the sheriff’s call for law and order while urging residents to keep protests calm. Sheridan had said he would act if ICE agents broke the law, then later released a social-media video clarifying that he would also protect agents who are doing their jobs.
According to KTAR News 92.3 FM, Galvin told The Mike Broomhead Show that “citizens must follow the law and not obstruct federal or local law enforcement performing duties.” He said county leaders want any demonstrations to stay orderly and urged people who are upset about federal immigration enforcement in metro Phoenix to go through legal and political channels rather than confront officers in the field.
Sheridan's Clarification
Sheridan first weighed in during a radio interview last Wednesday, then followed up with a weekend video to “clarify some things” and stress that his office intends to work with federal officers. In that video he said, “When ICE is here doing their job, of their responsibility, I will be here to protect them… Anyone will be arrested if they interfere with federal officers doing their duty,” as reported by Arizona's Family.
Protests And The Minneapolis Context
The back-and-forth is unfolding against a charged national backdrop. Tensions have been running high after the killing of Renée Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, followed by a wave of vigils and demonstrations around the country. In Phoenix, hundreds gathered outside the local ICE field office earlier this month, according to KJZZ, turning a national flashpoint into a local test of how far protests near federal facilities can go.
Legal Risks For Interfering With Officers
Federal law makes it a crime to obstruct, resist, or interfere with federal officers and allows for fines and possible prison time, according to The U.S. Code. Those statutes can come into play when people physically block or forcibly confront officers who are carrying out their duties. Sheridan has said the Maricopa County jail's intake facility hosts ICE personnel, including agents stationed there, a point he cited while defending cooperation with federal partners, per KTAR News 92.3 FM. That setup could make things especially complicated if protests erupt at the same time and place as federal operations.
Galvin has repeatedly said that peaceful protest is protected, yet he has also warned that anyone who crosses the line into unlawful interference with law enforcement is risking arrest. As Phoenix watches how local and federal agencies juggle enforcement with public demonstrations, county leaders are under growing pressure to spell out exactly where they draw the line between protecting public safety and protecting protest rights.
