ICE disputes Arizona Rep. Grijalva’s pepper spray claims during Tucson operation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday accused Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., of joining a “rioting crowd” and attempting to interfere with agents during a mass arrest operation last week.

The accusation came after Grijalva claimed she was “pushed aside and pepper sprayed” during an immigration raid on Dec. 5 in Tucson, an account ICE flatly rejected.

“During the operation, U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva joined the rioting crowd and attempted to impede law enforcement officers, then took to social media to slander law enforcement by falsely claiming she was pepper sprayed,” ICE said in a statement.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Grijalva’s office for comment.

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ICE and its federal partners arrested 46 illegal immigrants during the operation, the result of a “multiyear investigation into a transnational criminal organization involved in labor exploitation, tax violations, and immigration violations,” the agency said.

ICE said “over 100 agitators” arrived at one of the locations it searched and “attempted to impede law enforcement operations.”

“Agitators quickly turned violent, assaulting officers and slashing tires,” ICE added.

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In a post on X on Friday, Grijalva said she was “pushed aside and pepper sprayed” after seeking information from officers during ICE’s operation near the Taco Giro restaurant.

“ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson — a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years,” Grijalva wrote. “When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed.”

Grijalva also called ICE a “lawless agency” that is “operating with no transparency, no accountability, and open disregard for basic due process” in a separate X post.

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Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin immediately disputed Grijalva’s account, saying she was never directly sprayed but merely in the “vicinity of someone who was.”

“If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel,” McLaughlin said. “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.”

ICE said two people in the crowd were arrested – one for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer and another for damaging a government vehicle. Two Homeland Security Investigation Special Response Team operators were also injured.

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When reached for comment, DHS referred Fox News Digital to ICE’s statement on the operation. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.