- Rep. Adelita Grijalva, while getting lunch at Taco Giro, was pushed aside and pepper-sprayed during a large ICE raid that escalated into chaos.
- Local leaders condemned ICE's heavy-handed tactics; federal officials defended the operation as necessary amid a larger multi-year investigation.
TUCSON, Ariz. — It was supposed to be just another Friday lunch run for newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva, a quick stop at her go-to spot for some authentic tacos in the heart of her Tucson district.
Instead, it turned into a chaotic confrontation with federal agents that left her eyes burning and her community on edge.
Grijalva, still finding her footing after a rocky start to her congressional tenure, found herself in the thick of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that quickly spiraled into what local leaders are calling an unjustified show of force.
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Details of the Incident
The incident unfolded around midday on Dec. 5 outside Taco Giro, a beloved mom-and-pop eatery that’s been dishing out plates of carne asada and al pastor for decades.
Tucked between a church and a preschool on Tucson’s west side, it’s the kind of place where families gather without a second thought to borders or badges.
But on this day, about 40 ICE agents descended on the scene, executing search warrants as part of a multi-year probe into immigration and tax violations, according to an ICE spokesperson.
Grijalva, 55, arrived with her staff intending to grab a bite — a weekly ritual for the Arizona native who’s made championing immigrant rights a cornerstone of her career.
What she walked into instead was a full-blown raid, complete with armored agents and a growing crowd of protesters voicing their alarm over the operation’s timing and tactics.
In a pair of videos she posted to social media shortly after, Grijalva recounted the ordeal with a mix of disbelief and defiance.
Official Statements from Grijalva
“Moments ago, while my staff and I were on our way to get lunch, we encountered an ICE raid taking place at one of my favorite local restaurants, Taco Giro, a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for decades on the west side of Tucson,” she said in a statement to local CBS affiliate KOLD.
“It’s in the heart of our community—right next to a church and a preschool.”
As the congresswoman approached, she identified herself and calmly asked for details on the raid.
That’s when things escalated.
“When I presented myself as a Member of Congress and asked for more information, my staff and I were pushed aside and pepper-sprayed by masked agents,” Grijalva continued.
In the first clip, her voice steady but edged with frustration, she described being “sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and “pushed around by others” while simply trying to de-escalate.
The second video captures the raw tension: Grijalva, sunglasses perched on her head, engages with the agents, who repeatedly tell her to back away.
As she turns to leave, a canister bursts at her feet, sending a plume of smoke billowing up.
Grijalva was in the line of fire.
Whether it was a smoke grenade or pepper spray isn’t immediately clear from the footage, but the acrid haze is unmistakable.
Tensions Grow in Communities
Other bystander videos from the scene paint an even grimmer picture — agents unleashing pepper balls into the crowd of locals who had gathered to witness the raid, their shouts mingling with the sizzle of dispersing chemicals.
By the time Grijalva stepped away to speak with reporters, she was sporting dark sunglasses and gingerly rubbing her watering eyes, a stark visual reminder of how quickly a routine outing devolved into something out of a dystopian thriller.
This wasn’t just any dust-up; it came against the backdrop of renewed scrutiny on ICE’s enforcement tactics under the incoming Trump administration.
President Trump’s promises of mass deportations have already stoked fears in border communities like Tucson’s, where immigrant families are woven into the fabric of daily life.
Grijalva’s district, Arizona’s 7th, is a Democratic stronghold with a heavy Latino population, and she’s no stranger to these fights — her father, the longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, built a legacy on similar battles.
But her own path to Congress has been anything but smooth.
Tensions within Political Circles
Elected in a September special election to fill a vacancy, Grijalva’s swearing-in was delayed for a grueling two months by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who cited the government shutdown as the culprit.
Critics saw it differently, accusing the Louisiana Republican of stonewalling to block her vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files — she was the final signature on a discharge petition to force the issue.
Johnson finally administered the oath on Nov. 12, but not without Grijalva torching him to his face in a heated exchange that made headlines.
Now, barely a month into her term, she’s thrust back into the spotlight, this time as a firsthand casualty of the very policies she rails against.
“While I am fine, if that is the way they treat me, how are they treating other community members who do not have the same privileges and protections that I do?” Grijalva asked in her KOLD statement, her words landing like a gut punch amid the national debate over immigration crackdowns.
The backlash was swift and bipartisan at the local level.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz issued a joint condemnation that afternoon, pulling no punches.
“Today, federal officers conducted a raid in Tucson that rapidly escalated into violence against the public,” they wrote.
“We share the fears in our community created by President Trump’s immoral and inhumane immigration policies… Their disproportionate use of force, smoke grenades and pepper balls against the public, including our own Representative Adelita Grijalva, is not justified and cannot be tolerated.”
Not everyone sees it that way from the federal side.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin fired back on social media, casting serious doubt on Grijalva’s version of events.
“She was in the vicinity of someone who was pepper-sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement,” McLaughlin posted.
“In fact, 2 law enforcement officers were seriously injured by this mob that Rep. Grijalva joined.
Presenting one’s self [sic] as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give one the right to obstruct law enforcement.”
Statements from ICE
ICE’s official line, shared with 13 News, stuck to the script of operational necessity:
“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.”
As the sun set on the disrupted taco stand, the questions lingered thicker than the lingering pepper spray fumes.
How does a routine warrant turn into a street skirmish involving a sitting congresswoman?
And in a city that’s long been a flashpoint for immigration debates, what does this say about the road ahead under a Trump 2.0 deportation machine?
Grijalva’s office and ICE didn’t immediately respond to requests for further comment from this outlet, but one thing’s clear: In the unpredictable swirl of politics and policing, even a simple lunch can become a battleground.
For now, Taco Giro remains a quiet symbol of resilience — its grill fires still burning, even if the air outside still stings.
Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity
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