On Dec. 5, U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) reported that she was pepper sprayed by an agent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an immigration raid at a local taco restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. Grijalva said that she identified herself as a Member of Congress, but “was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and “pushed around by others.” The Congresswoman said the attack occurred when she was trying to conduct oversight of federal operations in her district. There were about 40 ICE agents in tactical gear who arrested two people on immigration charges, and one protester.
Videos show a chaotic scene. On June 12 U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was tackled and handcuffed in Los Angeles, when he interrupted a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem. On Sept. 19, a candidate for Congress, Kat Abughazaleh, was pushed to the ground during a peaceful protest in a Chicago suburb.
