Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says the U.S. Department of Justice pulled dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents out of Arizona—an allegation she argues undercuts frontline efforts to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and cartel activity along the southern border.
In late August 2025, Mayes said the Trump administration moved 60 Arizona-based DEA agents to Washington, D.C., as part of a federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital. (KJZZ)
“Give me our DEA agents back”
Mayes, a Democrat, framed the redeployment as a public-safety tradeoff that leaves Arizona—and, by extension, the rest of the country—more vulnerable to fentanyl flows.
At a press conference cited by Arizona’s Family (AZFamily), Mayes called on President Donald Trump to return the agents “right now,” arguing Arizona is a key corridor for fentanyl distribution. (https://www.azfamily.com)
KJZZ reported Mayes made similar claims in an interview on 12News’ “Sunday Square Off,” describing the decision as “outrageous” and warning that shifting personnel away from Arizona has made the state “less safe.” (KJZZ)
Bondi’s role, and what Mayes says she asked for
Mayes’ criticism has also focused on Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the DOJ.
According to KJZZ, Mayes said she contacted Bondi to request 50 additional DEA agents be sent to Arizona to help combat drug cartels, while also criticizing the move that sent agents to D.C. (KJZZ)
A separate State Affairs report said Mayes planned to send a demand letter to Bondi, and claimed the agents were “plucked” from Arizona and redirected to tasks like “routine traffic stops” instead of cartel-focused work. (cms.stateaffairs.com)
State Affairs also reported that Mayes said she had not received a response from Bondi “to date” about her request for added agents. (cms.stateaffairs.com)
Agency responses and what’s been confirmed
In response to Mayes’ statements, an AZFamily report said a DEA spokesperson emphasized the agency remains focused on drug-related crimes nationwide, but will support federal, state, and local partners when “additional assistance is requested by the Administration.” (https://www.azfamily.com)
State Affairs noted that, while Mayes suggested multiple agencies were being reshuffled, an FBI spokesperson said no Phoenix Field Office agents had been deployed to Los Angeles or D.C. “for that purpose.” (cms.stateaffairs.com) The same report said the DEA, ATF, and HSI did not respond to inquiries before its publication deadline. (cms.stateaffairs.com)
The wider backdrop: D.C. enforcement surge and ongoing legal fights
Mayes’ complaint arose amid a broader debate about the administration’s D.C. crime posture, including the use of National Guard deployments and federal law enforcement surges.
In December 2025, the Associated Press and Reuters reported a federal appeals court allowed the Trump-era National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., to continue for now, pending further litigation—highlighting how contested the capital’s security strategy has become. (AP News)
What Mayes says she wants now
Mayes’ bottom line: return federal enforcement capacity to Arizona’s border-state mission set.
“I would like all of our agents back in Arizona — FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF,” she said, according to State Affairs, warning against further reallocations to other major cities. (cms.stateaffairs.com)
Whether DOJ will reverse the redeployment—or add resources to Arizona—remains unclear from publicly available statements, but the dispute underscores a recurring tension: how the federal government balances immigration enforcement, street-level crime initiatives, and cartel-focused drug investigations across different regions at the same time.
