TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Federal immigration agents serving search warrants across Southern Arizona on Friday are drawing political attention and concerns from community members.
ICE says 46 people from Mexico were arrested for immigration violations as part of a broader investigation involving immigration and tax offenses.
Some Tucson residents gathered outside an ICE detention center following the enforcement activity on Friday. Gerald Montag, who was among them, claims agents used pepper spray on people near the facility, including himself.
"We're, you know, peacefully protesting, and one of the ICE agents walked up, reached through the gate with bear spray and maced a few of us, got somebody a lot worse than me," Montag explains.
Government officials have posted to social media, explaining that when pepper spray is used, it can be due to obstructing and assaulting law enforcement.
In response to Friday, neighbors and local organizers gathered Saturday at Menlo Park to discuss how to support families affected by the search warrants and provide accurate information about rights during federal enforcement actions.
One of the attendees, Frankie, also volunteers with Rapid Response Tucson. “Beautifully creative ways in which we’re having conversations around how do we want to respond to protecting our community, our friends, our neighbors," Frankie explains.
Organizers emphasized that the gathering was a closed community meeting. They did not permit the media to record the discussions taking place inside the park, citing concerns for attendees’ safety and privacy.
KGUN 9 has statements from several different departments stemming from Friday that can be found here.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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