U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva reported being pepper-sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a protest at a taco restaurant in Tucson on Friday.
Grijalva claimed that federal immigration officials used chemical spray against her despite identifying as a member of Congress when they began presenting their concerns about the operation.
In her video statement, Grijalva described an encounter where approximately 40 ICE agents, mostly masked, reportedly pushed aside and then sprayed pepper spray at those present. She asserted she was coughing due to exposure from this incident.
However, Tricia McLuhlin, Assistant Secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Services within the Department of Homeland Security countered Grijalva’s account by stating that Grijalva “was not pepper-sprayed.” Instead, it was a medical marvel that someone else might have been exposed, with two agents injured during the protest encounter.
