Rep. Adelita Grijalva shared a video on X alleging she was “sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and “pushed around by others” after she identified herself as a member of Congress during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation near Taco Giro, a family-owned restaurant in Tucson.
Grijalva said she approached agents to seek clarification about what was happening and was pepper-sprayed during the interaction. She added that members of her staff and members of the press in the area were also affected.
Federal response
The Department of Homeland Security rejected Grijalva’s version of events.
Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that Grijalva was not pepper-sprayed directly, but was near someone who was pepper-sprayed after, McLaughlin said, that person was “interfering with and assaulting law enforcement officers.”
McLaughlin added that “2 law enforcement officers were seriously injured” and said that identifying oneself as a member of Congress “doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement.” She said additional information would be provided later.
ICE spokesperson Fernando Burgos said agents were executing 16 search warrants across southern Arizona as part of what he described as a years-long investigation into immigration and tax violations. He also said multiple individuals were taken into custody during the operation.
Local officials react
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz released a joint statement condemning the enforcement action, saying it “rapidly escalated into violence against the public.” They also criticized the broader direction of federal immigration policy, calling it “immoral and inhumane.”
In their statement, the officials alleged that agents were not clearly identifiable and accused them of using disproportionate force, including smoke grenades and pepper balls. They said the use of chemical agents against members of the public—“including our own Representative Adelita Grijalva”—was unjustified.
Other elected officials also responded. Rep. Greg Stanton called the incident “outrageous.” Rep. Yassamin Ansari described it as “absolutely unacceptable,” and Sen. Ruben Gallego said that “pepper-spraying a sitting member of Congress is disgraceful, unacceptable, and absolutely not what we voted for.”
Reporting from the scene described protesters and bystanders coughing after chemical agents were deployed. Tucson police later arrived and worked to restore traffic flow and clear the area after ICE personnel left.
