Rep Adelita Grijalva says she was pepper sprayed at tense ICE protest in Tucson

TUCSON, ARIZONA: A tense immigration enforcement raid in Tucson took an unexpected turn on Friday, when Arizona Rep Adelita Grijalva claimed she was pepper sprayed while trying to get answers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside a local Mexican restaurant.

The confrontation escalated quickly, leaving the freshman congresswoman coughing and furious as she accused federal officers of using unnecessary force.

Rep Adelita Grijalva describes chaotic protest and pepper spray encounter

Rep Adelita Grijalva said she headed to Taco Giro, a small family-run spot she visits weekly, after hearing that ICE agents were conducting a sweeping operation there. By the time she arrived, dozens of protesters had already gathered and, according to her, were worried that federal agents were “taking people without due process.” She said the demonstrators had managed to “stop” a squadron of mostly masked ICE officers in tactical gear.

In a video filmed right after the confrontation, Grijalva, still coughing, said she approached the officers as a member of Congress seeking clarity about the operation. “When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed,” she said.

The footage shows her stepping toward a line of agents before an orange chemical spray is released toward the crowd. Another clip from a different angle shows a projectile landing near her feet, releasing a smoky cloud that forces her to back away.

Grijalva insisted she was not acting aggressively. “I literally was not being aggressive, I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress,” she said. “I just can only imagine if they’re going to treat me like that, how they’re treating everybody else.”

Department of Homeland Security disputes Adelita Grijalva’s account

But the Department of Homeland Security sharply rejected Grijalva’s account. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying, “If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel. But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed. She was in the vicinity of someone who was pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement.”

McLaughlin added that two officers were “seriously injured” during the clash and emphasized, “Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement.”

ICE spokesperson Fernando Burgos said officers were executing “16 search warrants” across southern Arizona as part of a long-running probe into immigration and tax violations, adding that multiple individuals were taken into custody.

Local leaders and Democrats condemn use of force on Adelita Grijalva and protesters

The clash quickly drew strong reactions from Tucson officials. Mayor Regina Romero and Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz said the enforcement action “rapidly escalated into violence against the public,” calling the use of smoke grenades, pepper balls and chemical spray “not justified and cannot be tolerated.” They encouraged bystanders to share videos for potential investigation.

Arizona Democrats rallied around Grijalva. Rep Greg Stanton called the incident “outrageous,” while Rep Yassamin Ansari said it was “absolutely unacceptable.” Sen Ruben Gallego blasted it as “disgraceful” and “not what we voted for,” and Sen Mark Kelly, speaking at a town hall that evening, described the situation as “horrific.”

Incident marks tense early moment in Adelita Grijalva’s congressional tenure

Grijalva, elected in September to fill the seat of her late father, Rep Raúl Grijalva, was sworn in only last month after the end of the long federal shutdown. Her experience at the protest highlighted how quickly things can escalate when federal enforcement operations collide with community outrage.

“If federal agents are brazen enough to fire pellets directly at a Member of Congress,” she wrote, “imagine how they behave when encountering defenseless members of our community.”