Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is calling for stricter standards for when federal immigration officers may use force, especially deadly force, with the introduction of the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act.
The bill focuses on multiple changes, including limiting the use of face masks by agents, notifying cities where operations will be taking place ahead of time, and limiting shooting at a moving vehicle where other reasonable options exist.
“With a budget larger than the U.S. Marine Corps and massive operations in U.S. cities, ICE has to be held to a higher standard. Under this administration, we’ve seen ICE harass and use deadly force against American citizens with zero accountability, creating more chaos that makes communities less safe,” Kelly told the Scripps News Group.
Scripps News spoke exclusively with Kelly on this newly introduced bill. Watch the full interview in the player above.
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The release of the bill comes after another ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday, the second shooting in a week. Protesters have continued to take to the streets following the shooting death of Renee Good on Jan. 7.
A similar version of the bill was introduced in November by a group of House Democratic lawmakers.
Senator Kelly's version builds on the House version, adding in requirements that govern the use of deadly force by the DOJ standard, a mandate that officers are trained to administer first aid, and prohibiting the agency from obstructing state or local investigations of excessive use of force by ICE agents.
“Arizonans deserve immigration enforcement that is effective and follows the law," Kelly said.
Lawmakers are also adding language that says First Amendment activities are not enough for agents to believe their safety is at risk.
ICE protests took place across the country on Saturday. That included Kelly's home state of Arizona, where big crowds gathered in Tempe on a pedestrian bridge over the U.S. 60, and also outside of the ICE building in Phoenix.
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In a statement, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., weighed in on the bill, saying, in part, that it would "bring much-needed accountability and restraint to stop Trump’s under-trained goon squads from sowing chaos in our communities."
Gallego, who is co-leading the bill, has also been critical of the ICE actions in Minneapolis and has called for reform within ICE.
“We in this office are going to do everything we can to hold them accountable, to stop their goonish natures, and hold them accountable,” Gallego said during his first press conference of 2026.
