Bill seeks highway tribute to two Arizonans killed by ISIS

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(The Center Square) - An Arizona congressman is trying to rename part of a busy interstate highway after two Arizonans killed by ISIS.

U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, introduced the Mueller-Keating Memorial Highway Act, which would rename a portion of I-17 after Kayla Mueller and Charlie Keating.

A 26-mile section of I-17 would be renamed starting in Prescott, where Mueller is from, and ending in Phoenix, Keating’s hometown.

“This designation honors two Arizonans whose lives were shaped in different communities, connected by the same corridor, and ended confronting the same evil,” the bill says.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Hamadeh told The Center Square in an exclusive quote that "both Kayla and Charlie deserve to be honored every day, and this legislation not only honors them for their sacrifices, but it will remind us that two incredible Arizonans gave their last full measure of devotion in the fight against evil."

In 2013, ISIS terrorists abducted Mueller, a humanitarian aid worker, from a Syrian Doctors Without Borders hospital while she was leaving it. Mueller was held hostage for around 18 months before dying in ISIS captivity. Mueller was 26.

In 2019, President Donald Trump launched Operation Kayla Mueller, which resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trump named the operation in honor of Mueller because she was one of his American victims, according to the White House.

America has not recovered Mueller’s body. In 2025, Hamadeh met with Syrian leaders to discuss the return of her body as well as normalization of relations between Syria and Israel.

Keating, a U.S. Navy SEAL, was killed in combat fighting against ISIS in Iraq in 2016, while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, which helped American partner forces regain ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria. Keating was 31.

Keating received a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions.

According to Hamadeh, “Operation Inherent Resolve demanded both military force and humanitarian resolve, and this designation recognizes the distinct, yet complementary roles our beloved Arizonans played in that effort.”

“We can never forget the victims of ISIS and these two Americans [who] faced that evil with faith and courage,” he added.