Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Arizona) said Friday that she was pepper sprayed by immigration enforcement agents in Tucson as she tried to find out more information about a raid taking place at a restaurant in her district.
In a video posted to social media, Grijalva said the incident took place Friday afternoon outside a Taco Giro, a small chain of Mexican restaurants in Arizona, where she estimated about 40 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in multiple vehicles were being confronted by protesters.
She said she identified herself as a member of Congress but “was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and “pushed around by others.”
“This is like the restaurant I come to literally once a week,” Grijalva said in the video, adding, “I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress.”
Video from the scene reviewed by The Washington Post shows ICE agents both deploying tear gas and firing pepper balls at protesters.
“You guys need to calm down and get out. You need to get out,” Grijalva says in another video provided by her office.
“Get out of the way. Stop. You guys need to clear, now,” an agent tells her later.
Shortly afterward, an agent shoots a projectile from a canister toward Grijalva and a cloud of white smoke appears at her feet.
In the video, Grijalva is standing next to a reporter for the Tuscon Sentinel who was sprayed directly in the face as the lawmaker’s staff tries to protect her.
Grijalva said she also witnessed ICE agents spraying at least two of her staff members. Video from a local news outlet showed masked ICE agents detaining at least one protester.
Department of Homeland spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin disputed Grijalva’s characterization.
“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 said in an email.
“Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement,” she added.
McLaughlin also said two officers were “seriously injured,” without providing any details.
McLaughlin did not respond to questions about how many protesters were detained or details about why ICE agents were at the restaurant.
Grijalva’s spokesman, Nate Sigal, said the House member was well within her rights to confront agents.
“DHS can spin all it wants, but Congresswoman Grijalva did exactly what any elected representative should do when witnessing a chaotic and dangerous enforcement action in her own community: identify herself and seek answers. That is not ‘obstruction’ — that is oversight,” Sigal said in a statement.
Grijalva was elected to Congress in a special election in September. She succeeded her father, former Democratic congressman Raúl Grijalva, who had represented the district from 2003 until he died earlier this year. Republicans delayed Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in for 50 days, a record, and she was sworn in Nov. 12.
The incident in Tucson is the latest clash that has turned physical while a Democratic lawmaker or candidate has confronted the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration enforcement measures. In June, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) was forcibly removed and handcuffed after interrupting a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem. In September, a Democratic congressional candidate was thrown to the ground during a protest outside a Chicago-area ICE facility.
Erin Patrick O’Connor and Brianna Tucker contributed to this report.
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