Federal immigration and tax-enforcement agents executed a coordinated series of search warrants across Southern Arizona on Friday, detaining multiple individuals and intensifying scrutiny after Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (D-Tucson) reported she was pepper-sprayed while attempting to observe the operation.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working jointly with the IRS Criminal Investigations unit, executed 16 search warrants related to alleged immigration and tax violations. One of the warrants was executed at Taco Giro, a Tucson restaurant where several employees were detained.

Grijalva said she was “pushed aside and pepper-sprayed” by federal agents even after identifying herself as a member of Congress. ICE has not publicly addressed or confirmed her account.

The Globe spoke with Daniel Butierez, who previously ran against Grijalva. Butierez arrived at Taco Giro after the federal operation had concluded and while Tucson Police remained on scene. He said community members recognized him immediately and asked for information about what had occurred.

Butierez said the demonstrators gathered outside the restaurant were not representative of the neighborhood.

He described the protestors as “white people with signs”, stating, “They were not from the barrio.”

He argued Grijalva’s presence escalated tensions at a moment when both federal and local law enforcement were attempting to secure the area.

“Adelita put the federal officers and local police at risk by getting involved in the raids.” He added, “The chaos was caused by the radical left. We have laws and a legal system. This mob-rule mentality endangers everyone involved.”

Butierez concluded, “I would like to suggest that Adelita Grijalva be a lawmaker and not a lawbreaker — and she did today.”

Local news outlets described the protests outside Taco Giro as “spontaneous”, reporting that individuals gathered rapidly once news of the raids spread. But Butierez sharply disputed that characterization, calling the group “outside agitators.”

According to him, the demonstrators did not appear to be neighborhood residents but seemed to have arrived from outside the community.

“These were white people with signs who were not from the barrio,” he said.

The discrepancy highlights an area of emerging public disagreement: whether the reaction was an organic community response or the result of coordinated political activism.

ICE has not issued a dedicated press release on the December 5 operation, and the raid does not appear in the agency’s publicly posted newsroom archive.

In response to media inquiries, an ICE spokesperson provided the agency’s standard national statement:

“Due to operational security, ICE does not confirm or discuss the existence or status of future operations. The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate…”

— ICE spokesperson

ICE later confirmed that the enforcement activity involved 16 coordinated search warrants executed with IRS-CI. Further details, including the total number of arrests and charges, have not yet been released.