Rep. Adelita Grijalva claims she was sprayed in the face during ICE confrontation

Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva from Arizona reported that she was pepper-sprayed and physically pushed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a raid at a Tucson restaurant on Friday.

In a video shared on X, Grijalva explained that the incident occurred as local residents gathered to confront approximately 40 ICE agents, many wearing masks and arriving in multiple vehicles, who had positioned themselves on a street near a restaurant she frequents. Grijalva stated, "I was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent and pushed around by others." She emphasized that she was asking questions and seeking clarification, asserting her rights as a member of Congress.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, disputed Grijalvas version of events, claiming she was merely "in the vicinity" of someone else who was pepper-sprayed while obstructing and assaulting law enforcement officers. McLaughlin added that two officers sustained serious injuries and that claiming congressional status does not entitle one to interfere with law enforcement activities.

Tucson Police Department officer Frank Magos confirmed that ICE served a federal search warrant at Taco Giro restaurant on Friday morning. According to Magos, federal tactical teams used chemical agents and sought assistance from local police to safely exit the area as a crowd had gathered.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz issued a joint statement condemning the federal agents' actions, saying the raid quickly escalated into violence. The officials criticized the use of ambiguous clothing by federal agents and the excessive deployment of smoke grenades and pepper balls, highlighting that Representative Grijalva was among those affected.

Grijalva mentioned that she witnessed others, including members of the press and her staff, being directly pepper-sprayed. She criticized the federal administrations approach to due process and legal protections, claiming that people were effectively disappearing from the streets.

Grijalva was sworn into Congress last month after winning a special election to fill the seat of her late father, Raul Grijalva, who previously represented Arizona's 7th Congressional District. Following her swearing-in, she became a co-signer of a bipartisan petition seeking records related to Jeffrey Epsteins case.

Author: Logan Reeves