Grijalva said ICE was conducting a raid near Taco Giro, a restaurant that was part of a sweep targeting multiple Mexican restaurants as part of a yearslong investigation into tax and immigration violations.
The congresswoman said she came across a community “protecting their people” by stopping immigration officials in their cars. She said she comes to Taco Giro once a week and, upon seeing the commotion, identified herself as a member of Congress but was met with force by officers.
“I was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent, pushed around by others, when I literally was not being aggressive. I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress,” Grijalva said, adding that most of the ICE officers were “rude and disrespectful,” while only one attempted to speak to her in “any kind of civil tone.”
“I just can only imagine that if they’re going treat me like that, how they’re treating everybody else,” she added, claiming that some protesters and members of the press were sprayed, as well.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin pushed back on Grijalva’s claims that she herself was pepper-sprayed.
“If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel. But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper-sprayed,” McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner. “She was in the vicinity of someone who was pepper-sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement. In fact, two law enforcement officers were seriously injured by this mob that Rep. Adelita Grijalva joined.”
“Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement. More information forthcoming.”
Protesters and journalists were hit with pepper spray by Department of Homeland Security vehicles that attempted to leave the parking area of a Taco Giro restaurant after 11 a.m., according to the Arizona Daily Star. Homeland Security Investigations carried out the raids, but did not specify if Grijalva herself was hit by pepper spray.
ICE spokesman Fernando X. Burgos told the local outlet the raids at two Taco Giros locations were part of an investigation, which included 16 search warrants, carried out in southern Arizona on Friday morning.
“Special agents and officers from ICE Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and other federal partners, are executing 16 search warrants in southern Arizona as part of a yearslong investigation into immigration and tax violations. Multiple individuals are in custody,” Burgos said. “As soon as the number is confirmed, we will share more details.”
The congresswoman is the latest lawmaker to engage with immigration officials since the Trump administration has cracked down on the influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border. Democrats have largely blasted ICE and other immigration agencies for their use of force against undocumented citizens, accusing them of racism for targeting Hispanic communities in droves.
Republicans have praised the actions of the administration for cracking down on illegal immigration, a top issue in the 2024 election that led to the GOP gaining a trifecta in Washington.
Other congressional Democrats have attempted to carry out oversight visits at ICE detention centers or speak to leaders like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, often leading to confrontations with officers and security.
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) is facing two of three federal charges against her, accusing her of assaulting and impeding immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center in May. A federal judge ruled in November that she must face the two charges after McIver sought to dismiss the case.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was handcuffed and taken to the ground by federal agents in June after he interrupted Secretary Kristi Noem while she spoke during a press conference in California. The department accused him of doing so “without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on.” But in a widely-circulated video, he is filmed saying, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.”
The actions taken against Padilla led to a rise in tensions on Capitol Hill and one of the more contentious weeks in Congress, which saw a definitive split between Republicans and Democrats over the administration’s immigration policies.
