Republican lawmakers in Arizona are urging a federal investigation into a state senator, Analise Ortiz, after the Phoenix Democrat reportedly shared alerts about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on social media. 

The effort is being led by the president of the Arizona senate, Warren Petersen, who labeled Ms. Ortiz’s comments “deeply troubling” and escalated the matter by contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. 

“I spoke with the U.S. Attorney … and referred this matter to his office to investigate, as it appears she may be in violation of federal law,” Mr. Petersen said in a statement. “Public servants have a duty to uphold the law and respect those who enforce it, not undermine them.” 

Mr. Petersen also said that an ethics complaint against Ms. Ortiz had been filed in the Arizona legislature.

The issue arose after a social media account accused Ms. Ortiz of “actively impeding and doxxing” ICE agents on platforms like Instagram. Responding to the accusations, Ms. Ortiz was defiant, saying, “Yep. When ICE is around, I will alert my community to stay out of the area, and I’m not f—ing scared of you nor [President] Trump’s masked goons.” 

Her Instagram posts, which included warnings about ICE agents near an elementary school, have garnered millions of views. Ms. Ortiz defended her alerts, arguing that individuals in her community have a right to know when law enforcement activity occurs in their area.

Others, like Travis Grantham, a former member of the Arizona house of representatives now running for Congress, condemned Ms. Ortiz’s actions, saying in a social media post, “This behavior endangers law enforcement officers’ lives. I support investigating this and holding Senator Ortiz accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

But top Democrats came to her defense. “I can confidently state that Senator Ortiz has the protected constitutional right to warn her community of the areas within our state that could put families at risk of being separated and unjustly removed from the country without due process,” the senate Democratic leader, Priya Sundareshan, said in a statement.

Ms. Ortiz says her actions are protected by the First Amendment, asserting in an Instagram post, “ICE is lurking outside schools in our community, disappearing people of all statuses and causing unwarranted fear. Every individual has the right to know when and where law enforcement activity of any kind is taking place in an effort to protect themselves.”

In what appears to be a town hall meeting in her district, video of which was posted on social media, the senator told the gathering, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” She also said, “The fascists and white supremacists in power in Arizona are targeting me because I shared information … so our community could avoid the area and stay safe.” 

Critics argue that Ms. Ortiz’s warnings conflict with her constitutional duties as a state senator. Arizona lawmakers take an oath to “support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the state of Arizona.” 

Mr. Petersen said Ms. Ortiz’s actions could contradict this oath. “Obstructing federal law enforcement is unequivocally incompatible with that oath,” Mr. Petersen said. “Our law enforcement agents place themselves in harm’s way every day to defend our liberties and communities. The least we can do as public servants is stand with them.”

The Department of Homeland Security has weighed in on the matter, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying Ms. Ortiz’s actions “look like obstruction of justice.”

“Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz is siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals over American citizens. Sanctuary politicians like Ortiz contribute to the surge in assaults on our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE,” she said.