Democratic Congresswoman Accused of Joining Riot and Attempting to 'Impede Law Enforcement Officers'

A Democratic lawmaker in Arizona is under fire after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused her of disrupting a lawful federal operation and inflaming tensions during a major immigration raid in Tucson.

The Dec. 5 enforcement action—led by Homeland Security Investigations Arizona in coordination with multiple federal partners—resulted in 46 illegal immigrants being taken into custody. Several of those arrested had prior criminal histories, including charges for sexual assault and illegal re-entry, according to an ICE news release. Agents executed 16 search warrants as part of a long-running investigation into a complex criminal network.

But instead of focusing on the criminal activity uncovered, Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva chose to turn the scene into political theater. With cameras rolling, Grijalva helped stir a hostile crowd and later attempted to portray ICE as the aggressor.

ICE described a chaotic and dangerous confrontation instigated by activists.

“At one of the locations, over 100 agitators descended and attempted to impede law enforcement operations, locking a gate to trap agents within the perimeter of the restaurant. Agitators quickly turned violent, assaulting officers and slashing tires,” the release said.

“An HSI Special Response Team was mobilized to regain control of the situation, where they were forced to deploy countermeasures,” the release added.

The agency directly called out Grijalva for fueling the chaos and then misrepresenting what happened online.

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,” the release stated.

The congresswoman, however, attempted to portray herself as the victim in a post on X.

“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,” she posted.

Authorities reported one arrest for assaulting a federal officer and another for damaging a government vehicle. Two federal operators were injured during the confrontation.

The Dec. 5 raid was the culmination of a multiyear investigation targeting a transnational criminal organization allegedly involved in human smuggling and human trafficking tied to forced labor. Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede emphasized the significance of the operation.

“This multiyear investigation that targeted TCOs alleged to be involved in human smuggling, human trafficking derived from peonage resulted in the shutdown of the restaurants,” Rede said.

“These enforcement actions have unequivocally disrupted this criminal organization’s ability to exploit our lawful labor and system of commerce. This agency will not stand for it and those seeking to continue such practices are on notice — there will be more enforcement operations in Arizona,” Rede added.

Investigators revealed that a family-owned restaurant chain across Tucson, Sierra Vista, Green Valley, Casa Grande, and Apache Junction had been used as a front for criminal activity.

ICE made clear that immigration enforcement operations in Arizona will continue.

A separate report from KOLD-TV noted that a previous Tucson raid on Sept. 10 resulted in the deportation of two individuals. Agents in that case appeared to target a trucking company, though officials did not release public statements regarding that operation either.