U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a news release with more details on the execution of 16 criminal federal warrants on Dec. 5.
According to the news release, the warrants targeted nine restaurants and seven associated stash houses in Tucson and the surrounding counties.
The operation was "part of a multiyear investigation into a transnational criminal organization involved in labor exploitation, tax violations, and immigration violations," the news release said.
Forty-six undocumented migrants were arrested.
The news release said more than 100 agitators attempted to impede law enforcement operations, locking the gate to trap agents within the perimeter of the restaurant.
An HSI Special Response Team was mobilized to regain control of the situation, the news release said.
Two members of the team were injured. One suffered a bicep rupture, the news release said. The other suffered a knee injury.
Two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting a federal officer, damaging a government vehicle and obstruction, the news release said.
The release said that U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva was on-scene. It accused her of attempting to impede law enforcement officers, then slandering law enforcement by falsely claiming she was pepper sprayed.
Arizona’s Democratic congressional delegation, including Grijalva, on Friday asked congressional homeland security leaders to open a formal investigation into the Department of Homeland Security, saying a recent Tucson immigration operation revealed “a troubling pattern of abusive conduct and obstruction of independent journalism and congressional oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
Read more about their request here.
