Arizona Congresswoman Who Waited 7 Weeks for Mike Johnson to Swear Her in Says She Was Pepper Sprayed By ICE At a Taco Joint
Rep. Adelita Grijalva was ‘sprayed in the face’ and ‘pushed around’ as agents descended on restaurant
Democratic Representative Adeleta Grijalva said federal agents pepper-sprayed her and others during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Arizona.
In a video posted on social media, Grijalva explained that about 40 federal agents, most wearing masks, arrived in several vehicles to raid a Taco Gyro restaurant in Tucson on Friday.
She said she was pepper-sprayed in the face by one “very aggressive” agent and “pushed around by others.”
Grijalva, who was recently sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson 50 days after winning a special election for her Arizona House seat, said only one agent “attempted to speak politely to her” after she identified herself as a member of Congress.
“I wasn’t being aggressive,” she said. “I was asking for answers, which is my right as a member of Congress. I can’t imagine how they would treat me if they had treated me differently.” The raid was part of a multi-year investigation into alleged immigration violations and tax fraud, according to federal officials.
At least 190 people in the area were charged last week with immigration-related offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. The vast majority of those cases involve people accused of entering the country illegally.
ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson – a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years.
When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed-aside and pepper sprayed. pic.twitter.com/gPx0p3IXP2— Rep. Adelita Grijalva (@Rep_Grijalva) December 5, 2025
The Trump administration has intensified the president’s mass deportation campaign through large-scale immigration enforcement operations across the country, resulting in thousands of arrests, primarily targeting people with no prior criminal record.
“The biggest problem in our community is Trump, who respects neither legal procedures, nor the rule of law, nor the Constitution,” Grijalva said Friday. “They are literally arresting people in the street.”
