Arizona congresswoman says she was pepper-sprayed during ICE protest
- - Arizona congresswoman says she was pepper-sprayed during ICE protest
Laura Gersony, Arizona Republic December 6, 2025 at 8:45 AM
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Arizona congresswoman says she was pepper-sprayed during ICE protest
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva said she was pepper-sprayed Dec. 5 during protests responding to an immigration enforcement raid in Tucson.
Protesters had assembled near Taco Giro, a Mexican restaurant that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had raided earlier that day.
Grijalva, a progressive Democrat and a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policy, was in the area at the time of the protest, according to aide Nate Sigal. She headed to the scene after her staff was notified of the commotion taking place, Sigal said.
Videos by a local television affiliate showed protesters carrying signs critical of ICE, and yelling at the officers as they detained people. Grijalva can be seen walking toward the officers, speaking with the officers, and coughing.
In another video, which Grijalva posted online, a cloud of smoke can be seen bursting near the congresswoman's feet while she walks toward an officer. Protesters can be heard yelling in the background.
It's unclear, based on the videos, whether the officers' actions were aimed specifically at Grijalva or part of a wider crowd control effort.
What we know: Adelita Grijalva condemns Border Patrol raid at No More Deaths camp
"The community had stopped" a squadron of about 40 ICE agents, most of them wearing masks, Grijalva said in a video posted to social media. "They were afraid that they were taking people without due process."
"When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed," she wrote.
The Friday morning raid that sparked the protests was part of a wider sweep of the region. ICE spokesperson Fernando X. Burgos said officers from ICE Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and other federal agents were executing 16 search warrants in southern Arizona “as part of a years-long investigation into immigration and tax violations."
Multiple individuals were in custody, Burgos wrote.
Burgos did not return The Arizona Republic's requests for comment on Grijalva's allegations.
The incident comes two days after Grijalva blasted a Border Patrol raid that took place on Nov. 23 at a humanitarian aid camp on the House floor.
Volunteers from the humanitarian group No More Deaths accused Border Patrol agents of entering a trailer at the camp without a warrant and arresting three undocumented migrants found inside.
Grijalva called the raid an example of the “cruel” and “unconstitutional” immigration enforcement actions being carried out under the direction of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns in southern Arizona.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official denied that the Border Patrol raid at the No More Deaths camp was unlawful.
Arizona Democrats leapt to Grijalva's defense after the pepper-spray incident. Reps. Greg Stanton and Yassamin Ansari called the incident "outrageous" and "absolutely unacceptable."
"Pepper-spraying a sitting member of Congress is disgraceful, unacceptable, and absolutely not what we voted for. Period," wrote Sen. Ruben Gallego.
The Trump administration has used other protest altercations as the basis for legal action. Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, a Democrat, was among those charged for "impeding" an officer after she and other protesters stood in front of an immigration enforcement SUV entering a Homeland Security facility in the suburbs.
The Republic's Daniel Gonzalez contributed reporting.
This is a developing story. Check www.azcentral.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Adelita Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed during ICE protest
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