Arizona member of Congress says she was hurt by pepper spray during ICE raid in Tucson

PHOENIX — Arizona’s newest member of Congress said she was hurt by pepper spray during an immigration raid in Tucson on Friday.

Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva said her run-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents occurred at a family-owned restaurant she frequents, Taco Giro.

She told KTAR News 92.3 FM she was standing next to Tucson Sentinel reporter Paul Ingram, who angered ICE agents.

“Paul Ingram was hit directly in the face. He was standing — I was just off to one side of him, so he got the brunt of that kind of direct hit, and then several other members of the community were watering their faces,” Grijalva told KTAR News on Friday.

In a social media video posted to her account shortly after the incident, Grijalva said a “very aggressive” agent sprayed her in the face, stopping at one point to cough and say the pepper spray was still impacting her.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin released a public statement condemning Grijalva for saying she had gotten pepper sprayed.

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. In fact, 2 law enforcement officers were seriously… https://t.co/U0zspIuGxQ

— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) December 5, 2025

In response to McLaughlin’s comment, Grijalva told KTAR News that the deployment of the pepper spray hurt her, regardless of whether or not it was sprayed directly into her face.

“You know, it doesn’t matter. I was impacted by it. There’s no reason — we were, I mean, the person directly, like, literally inches from me was a member of the press. Not anyone that was being aggressive, nor was I,” she said. “I have spots on my face that have, like, welt-like looking things. I’m not making this stuff up.”

Rep. Adelita Grijalva said her staff was sprayed by ICE, too

Grijalva, who won a special election to fill her late father’s vacant seat in September and was sworn in last month, said she wasn’t the only one impacted by the pepper spray.

She said about 45 ICE agents met with community resistance outside the restaurant, which only has around seven employees.

“Those ICE agents, except for one, didn’t care who I was, didn’t care who anyone else was,” Grijalva said. “I was very clear to introduce myself.”

Shortly after posting her first video, Grijalva posted a second clip showing her faceoff with the ICE officers.

ICE is a lawless agency under this Administration – operating with no transparency, no accountability, and open disregard for basic due process.

No family in our community should live in fear, and I will not rest until we get clear answers and accountability. pic.twitter.com/Z2mUuRxHuX

— Rep. Adelita Grijalva (@Rep_Grijalva) December 5, 2025

Grijalva said she was initially heading to the restaurant for lunch, but on the way, she learned the business was closed and they saw vehicles in the middle of the road.

“I was just walking in to sort of understand and figure out what was happening. And I said, ‘What’s going on here?’ and I introduced myself, and they said, ‘We’re not authorized to tell you anything,’ and that’s kind of where it went,” she said.

When asked about the incident, ICE issued the following statement to KTAR News:

Special agents and officers from ICE Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and other federal partners, are executing 16 search warrants in southern Arizona as part of a years-long investigation into immigration and tax violations. Multiple individuals are in custody. As soon as the number is confirmed, we will share more details.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Heidi Hommel and Serena O’Sullivan contributed to this report.

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