TUCSON (Arizona), December 5 (EVI) – US Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva said on Friday that she was pepper sprayed and attacked by immigration authorities in Tucson (Arizona) in Taqueria Latina when she asked for clarifications about an operation that led to the detention of several migrants.
The first Latina woman to represent Arizona in Congress in Washington denounced mistreatment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the social media network X.
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a lawless agency under this administration: it operates without transparency, without accountability, and with a clear disregard for basic due process,” the Democratic congresswoman said.
“No family in our community should live in fear,” he added.
Agents from that federal agency and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) carried out several operations on Friday at different facilities of the “El Taco Giro” restaurant in Tucson and southern Arizona.
The congresswoman said she went to a popular Latin restaurant facility, where at least 40 ICE agents were present, and was pushed by several officers and sprayed with pepper spray.
“I was only asking for clarification after I identified myself as a member of Congress, and at no time was I aggressive,” Grijalva said in a video.
He stated that all members of his team, who came to document the operation, were also sprayed with pepper spray by masked agents.
“This is one of the biggest problems,” the congresswoman said while coughing. “President Trump does not respect the Constitution, and people are disappearing from the streets.”
Grijalva stated that he saw two people arrested.
“It was important for me to see what was happening and not hear about it from others,” he said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the operation and multiple arrests, and noted that it was a more than year-long investigation related to alleged violations of immigration and tax laws.
Several witnesses saw agents taking boxes of documents, while many reported on social media that workers were detained in their homes during the early hours of the morning.
ml/ims
(Photo) (Video)