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adelita grijalva
Democrats Report Overcrowding, Medical Neglect at Arizona ICE Facility After Unannounced Visit
"This is Trump’s mass deportation machine in action."
Apr 10, 2026
Three Arizona members of the US House learned of credible reports of overcrowding at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at an airport in Mesa, Arizona, and that was "exactly what we saw," said Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva on Thursday night after the lawmakers paid a surprise visit to the detention center.
Grijalva joined fellow Democratic Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton in visiting the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center at Mesa-Gateway Airport, which the latter two also visited earlier this year—during one of the few periods in recent months in which the center has been under its capacity of 157 people.
As The Arizona Mirror reported Thursday, when Ansari and Stanton alerted ICE ahead of time that they'd be coming for their earlier visit on February 20, the number of detainees held in the facility dipped to one of its lowest levels in the past year.
"Almost immediately after the inspection, those numbers began to climb again," the Mirror reported, reaching as high as 335 in early March. Before the lawmakers notified ICE, as many as 777 people were being detained in the 25,000 square foot facility.
This time, with Grijalva joining them, Ansari and Stanton didn't announce that they'd be coming—and found "well over 240 detainees stacked like sardines in cells," said Ansari in a social media post.
I just conducted an unprompted, late night oversight visit at an ICE holding facility at the Mesa Gateway Airport with @RepGregStanton and @Rep_Grijalva. What we saw was shocking and sick.
Well over 240 detainees stacked like sardines in cells. People were sick and ICE was… pic.twitter.com/mN8GIAXrpd
— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) April 10, 2026
"The last time we were there, they very much cleaned things up and tried to make this horrible place as presentable as it could be," said Ansari. "And what we saw tonight was massive overcrowding of every single cell... Each room has capacity for just 21 people. And in each of these rooms there were 40 or more human beings, people were body-to-body, laying next to each other like sardines."
The congresswoman said the people were "really desperate" to talk to the lawmakers despite an ICE rule prohibiting visiting members of Congress from speaking to detainees.
"Through the cracks in the door, they are telling us that it's extremely hot, that they have been there for days," said Ansari. "One of the men was telling me that someone has a fever in there and I tried to get the ICE supervisor to bring medical staff over, and he was just staring at me blankly like I was asking for the most ridiculous thing."
The coordination center is meant to hold people for no more than 12 hours just before they are deported.
According to the Mirror, publicly available data shows that 36 hours is the average length of time this year that people have been detained at the coordination center, compared with 12 hours this time last year.
The Mirror also reported Friday that a supervisor claimed during the three lawmakers' oversight visit that the center is a "72-hour hold facility, even though it has no beds or showers"—contradicting ICE's own earlier statement to the newspaper.
Tonight, I conducted unannounced oversight at ICE’s Mesa Airport detention center with @RepYassAnsari and @Rep_Grijalva.
What we saw was horrifying — crowded cells at 2-3x capacity and busses more of detainees being loaded in. This is Trump’s mass deportation machine in action. pic.twitter.com/IueA5cBjyH
— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) April 10, 2026
ICE told the Mirror that fluctuations in population levels at the coordination center are a "normal part of operations" and are "based on flight schedules and operational needs."
But Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told the newspaper that "serious problems with overcrowding at ICE field offices" have been reported nationwide as the Trump administration pushes to arrest 3,000 people per day as part of its mass deportation agenda.
"The overcrowding situation is frightening, and you have people that are sick, people that are sweating, women that need sanitary napkins and were asking me if I could get some for them," said Grijalva. "People were laying on concrete without any bedding of any kind, and there were people that were so tightly in there that I couldn't count them."
Just finished a surprise Congressional oversight visit at a temporary ICE holding site in Mesa, AZ. The conditions are absolutely horrific. No human being should be treated this way. pic.twitter.com/krZ05F2g8a
— Rep. Adelita Grijalva (@Rep_Grijalva) April 10, 2026
The three lawmakers said they will be pushing to ensure no new funding for ICE is included in the new budget for the US Department of Homeland Security when Congress debates the spending next week. Stanton told the Mirror that the visit "exemplified exactly why" ICE should not get any more funding.
"What we saw was horrifying—crowded cells at two to three times the capacity and buses of more detainees being loaded in," Stanton said. "This is Trump’s mass deportation machine in action."
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Progressives Say 'No Taxpayer Subsidies' as Big Oil Balks at Trump's Call to Invest in Venezuela
"Trump must not give these companies billions in handouts and stick American taxpayers with the bill," implored Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Jan 09, 2026
ExxonMobil's CEO told President Donald Trump during a Friday meeting that Venezuela is currently "uninvestible" following the US invasion and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, underscoring fears that American taxpayers will be left footing the bill for the administration's goal of exploiting the South American nation's vast petroleum resources.
Trump had hoped to convince executives from around two dozen oil companies to invest in Venezuela after the president claimed US firms pledged to spend at least $100 billion in the country. However, Trump got a reality check during Friday's White House meeting, as at least one Big Oil CEO balked at committing financial and other resources in an uncertain political, legal, and security environment.
“If we look at the legal and commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela today, it’s uninvestable,” ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods told Trump during the meeting. “Significant changes have to be made to those commercial frameworks, the legal system. There has to be durable investment protections, and there has to be a change to the hydrocarbon laws in the country.”
Exxon CEO: If you look at the commercial constructs, frameworks in place in Venezuela today, it's uninvestable. Significant changes have to be made to these frameworks, the legal system. There has to be durable investment protections and change to the hydrocarbon laws. pic.twitter.com/vpdH6ftfzm
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 9, 2026
There is also skepticism regarding Trump's promise of "total safety" for investors in Venezuela amid deadly US military aggression and regime change.
However, many of the executives—who stand to make billions of dollars from the invasion—told Trump that they remain eager to eventually reap the rewards of any potential US takeover of Venezuela's vast oil resources.
The oil executives' apparent aversion to immediate investment in Venezuela—and Trump's own admission that the American people might end up reimbursing Big Oil for its efforts—prompted backlash from taxpayer advocates.
"Trump must not give these companies billions in handouts and stick American taxpayers with the bill," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on social media Friday. "And oil execs should commit now: no taxpayer subsidies, no special favors from the White House."
Sam Ratner, policy director at the group Win Without War, said Wednesday that "already today, Trump was saying that US taxpayers should front the money to rebuild Venezuelan oil infrastructure, all while oil companies keep the proceeds from the oil."
"This is not just a war for oil, but a war for oil executives," Ratner added.
Noting that "Big Oil spent nearly $100 million to get Trump elected in 2024," former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich—who served during the Clinton administration—described Friday's meeting as "returning the favor" and "oligarchy in action."
According to an analysis by the advocacy group Climate Power, fossil fuel industry interests spent nearly $450 million during the 2024 election cycle in support of Trump and other Republican candidates and initiatives.
Trump shows you his priorities–Big Oil companies.“Running” Venezuela is all about enriching his donors.The American people are done fighting foreign wars to pad the pockets of oil executives.
[image or embed]
— Rep. Jason Crow (@crow.house.gov) January 9, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Reich and others also noted that Trump informed oil executives about the Venezuelan invasion even before he notified members of Congress.
"That tells you everything you need to know: It was never about 'narcoterrorism' and always about oil," Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said on Bluesky.
The legal watchdog Democracy Forward this week filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding information about any possible Trump administration collusion with Big Oil in the lead-up to the Venezuela invasion.
Other observers shot down assertions by Trump and members of his administration that the attack on Venezuela and Maduro's ouster are ultimately about restoring democracy.
"Want to know who’s meeting with Trump this morning about Venezuela’s future?" Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) asked on X.
"Not pro-democracy leaders," she said. "Oil and gas executives."
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ICE Goons Pepper Spray Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva During Tucson Raid
"If federal agents are brazen enough to fire pellets directly at a member of Congress, imagine how they behave when encountering defenseless members of our community," Grijalva said.
Dec 05, 2025
In what Arizona's attorney general slammed as an "unacceptable and outrageous" act of "unchecked aggression," a federal immigration officer fired pepper spray toward recently sworn-in Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva during a Friday raid on a Tucson restaurant.
Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers "just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson—a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years."
"When I presented myself as a member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed," she added.
Grijalva said in a video uploaded to the post that she was "sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent, pushed around by others, when I literally was not being aggressive, I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress."
The video shows Grijalva among a group of protesters who verbally confronted federal agents over the raid. Following an order to "clear," an agent is seen firing what appears to be a pepper ball at the ground very near the congresswoman's feet. Video footage also shows agents deploying gas against the crowd.
"They're targeting small mom-and-pop businesses that don't have the financial resources to fight back," Grijalva told reporters after the incident. "They're targeting small businesses and people that are helping in our communities in order to try to fill the quota that [President Donald] Trump has given them."
Mocking the incident on social media, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin contended that Grijalva "wasn’t pepper sprayed."
"She was in the vicinity of someone who *was* pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement," she added. "In fact, two law enforcement officers were seriously injured by this mob that [Grijalva] joined."
McLaughlin provided no further details regarding the nature of those injuries.
Democrats in Arizona and beyond condemned Friday's incident, with US Sen. Ruben Gallego writing on social media that Grijalva "was doing her job, standing up for her community."
"Pepper spraying a sitting member of Congress is disgraceful, unacceptable, and absolutely not what we voted for," he added. "Period."
Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said on social media: "This is unacceptable and outrageous. Enforcing the rule of law does not mean pepper spraying a member of Congress for simply asking questions. Effective law enforcement requires restraint and accountability, not unchecked aggression."
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) also weighed in on social media, calling the incident "outrageous."
"Rep. Grijalva was completely within her rights to stand up for her constituents," she added. "ICE is completely lawless."
Friday's incident follows federal agents' violent removal of Sen. Alexa Padilla (D-Calif.) from a June press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was federally indicted in June for allegedly “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers" during an oversight visit at a privately operated migrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey and subsequent confrontation with ICE agents outside of the lockup in which US Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, both New Jersey Democrats, were also involved.
Violent assaults by federal agents on suspected undocumented immigrants—including US citizens—protesters, journalists, and others are a regular occurrence amid the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.
"If federal agents are brazen enough to fire pellets directly at a member of Congress, imagine how they behave when encountering defenseless members of our community," Grijalva said late Friday on social media. "It’s time for Congress to rein in this rogue agency NOW."
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Grijalva Signs Discharge Petition to Force Epstein Files Vote Right After Being Sworn In
The congresswoman called House Speaker Mike Johnson's delay a politically motivated "abuse of power" and reiterated her support for releasing the documents, declaring that "justice cannot wait another day."
Nov 12, 2025
After a weekslong delay that US House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to blame on the government shutdown, Adelita Grijalva was finally sworn in on Wednesday and swiftly became the crucial 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing files related to deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson (R-La.) has denied that he pushed off administering the oath of office to Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to postpone a vote requiring the US Department of Justice to release its files on Epstein, who was friends with Republican President Donald Trump. However, critics, including many discharge petition signatories, don't believe him.
Addressing the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Grijalva called Johnson's delay a politically motivated "abuse of power."
The newest congresswoman also thanked the survivors of Epstein's abuse who were seated in the gallery and confirmed that she would sign the discharge petition immediately, declaring that "justice cannot wait another day."
Working Families Party national press secretary Ravi Mangla said in a Wednesday statement: "Congratulations to WFP champion Adelita Grijalva on her swearing-in today—after weeks of stalling by Speaker Mike Johnson. Not only will families in southern Arizona finally have representation in Congress, Americans are getting a proven fighter who's ready to hit the ground running. And one of the first orders of business will be holding Jeffrey Epstein's accomplices accountable by forcing the release of the files."
Demand Progress has led a campaign that's resulted in Americans sending around 570,000 messages and making more than 8,000 calls asking Congress to release the files. A senior policy adviser to the group, Cavan Kharrazian, said Wednesday that "every new revelation, every denial from the White House, and every deflection from congressional leaders is a reason why we should just clear the air and release the Epstein files."
Noting Epstein's "personal and business connections to presidents, prime ministers, royalty, and even foreign governments," Kharrazian argued that "there is no good reason to keep the information that our government has about this under wraps, except naked self-interest," and urged all House members to support the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The bill is spearheaded by Congressmen Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Three other Republicans—Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.)—joined Democrats in signing the discharge petition to force a vote on the legislation.
"Thank you to the brave survivors who made the possible. Let's bring it to the floor for a vote!" Khanna wrote on social media on Wednesday, celebrating Grijalva's oath and signature.
Massie said that "in spite of a last-ditch effort by the president to foil the motion, and Speaker Johnson's propaganda, the discharge petition I have been leading just succeeded! In December, the entire House of Representatives will vote on releasing the Epstein files."
Before Grijalva officially joined the chamber on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that top Trump administration officials met with Boebert in the White House Situation Room, and Trump spoke with her by phone. According to the newspaper, the president had also been reaching out to Mace, but they had not connected.
By Wednesday evening, Politico reported that "Republicans are bracing for a significant chunk of the conference" to vote for Khanna and Massie's bill once it hits the floor. GOP Congressmen Don Bacon (Neb.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), and Rob Bresnahan (Pa.) all suggested that they would support it.
While the discharge petition's success set up a December vote, Johnson announced Wednesday night that he would speed up the process by holding a vote on releasing the files next week.
There were files released throughout Wednesday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Initially, Democrats on the panel released a few emails from Epstein. In 2011, he wrote to now-imprisoned co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump was a "dog that hasn't barked" and "spent hours at my house" with a victim of sex trafficking. In 2019, Epstein wrote to author Michael Wolff that Trump "knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop."
The panel's ranking member, Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), said in a statement: "The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president."
"The Department of Justice must fully release the Epstein files to the public immediately," he added. "The Oversight Committee will continue pushing for answers and will not stop until we get justice for the victims."
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday afternoon: "The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they'll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap."
"The Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk—and they should pay a fair price," he added. "There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!"
Meanwhile, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee responded with a document dump, releasing 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate.
This article was updated after House Speaker Mike Johnson announced plans to hold a vote next week.
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Adelita Grijalva Will Finally Be Sworn In, After Being Blocked From Taking Office for Record 7 Weeks
Speaker Mike Johnson has been accused of blocking Grijalva from her seat because she'd be the 218th vote to release the files on the late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Nov 11, 2025
After being kept out of Congress for more than seven weeks by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva will finally be sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives this week.
Johnson told CNN on Monday night that Grijalva will be sworn in after Congress returns from a lengthy absence this week, when it is expected to vote to end the longest government shutdown in US history.
The blockade on Grijalva, who was elected to fill her late father's House seat on September 23, is also the longest that an elected member of Congress has been kept out of the chamber after winning a special election.
While Johnson has insisted he could not swear in members of Congress during a recess, he notably did so this April for two Florida Republicans—Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis—just one day after their elections.
Though he's denied the accusation, many have assumed that Johnson has dragged his feet on seating Grijalva because she is expected to be the final vote needed for the House to vote on a measure requiring the US Department of Justice to release its files on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In late October, 20 victims of Epstein and his partner Ghislane Maxwell signed an open letter calling on Johnson to swear Grijalva into office.
"This delay appears to be a deliberate attempt to block her participation in the discharge petition that would force a vote to unseal the Epstein/Maxwell files," the survivors said. "The American public has a right to transparency and accountability, and we, as survivors, deserve justice."
In a news appearance last Monday, Grijalva said that someone told her on election night that Johnson is "not going swear you in because of those files."
"I thought, no, that can't be it," she said. "And here we are..."
The financier's ties to President Donald Trump have led to mounting suspicion, including from fellow Republicans like Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), who have said they plan to join Democrats in voting for the files' release.
Johnson has managed to delay a vote on the Epstein files for months. In July, as a bipartisan resolution pushed by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was gaining steam, Johnson sent Congress home early for its August recess, which delayed business until September.
In the final weeks before the shutdown, after a bill to fund the government stalled in the Senate, Johnson sent members home again on September 19, just days before Grijalva's election would have made her the 218th vote to force an Epstein resolution to the floor.
While Grijalva expressed excitement at finally being sworn in, she said, "this delay never should have happened in the first place."
"For seven weeks, 813,000 Arizonans have been denied a voice and access to basic constituent services," she said in a statement published Monday. "This is an abuse of power that no speaker should have."
The House is expected to vote on a continuing resolution to reopen the government after eight Senate Democrats caved to Republican pressure on Sunday after weeks of holding the line in hopes of securing the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that, if allowed to expire at the end of the year, will result in health insurance premiums more than doubling for over 20 million Americans.
"While I am eager to get to work," Grijalva said, "I am disappointed that one of my first votes will be on a bill that does nothing to protect working people from skyrocketing premiums, loss of health coverage, or do anything significant to rein in Trump's abuse of power."
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Adelita Grijalva and Arizona AG Sue Over 'Speaker Johnson's Obstruction'
"The voters of southern Arizona made their choice, yet for four weeks, he has refused to seat a duly elected member of Congress—denying Southern Arizona its constitutional representation," said the rep.-elect.
Oct 21, 2025
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva filed a highly anticipated federal lawsuit on Tuesday over Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's refusal to administer the oath of office for nearly a month.
"On September 23, 2025, the voters in Arizona's 7th Congressional District elected Adelita Grijalva to serve as their representative in the House, with 68.94% of the vote," notes the complaint, filed in a the district court in Washington, DC. "The election was canvassed and the certificate of election delivered to the House on October 14, 2025."
Grijalva's victory in the special election for her late father's seat came shortly before a government shutdown. Johnson (La.) has used the ongoing shutdown as an excuse and denied that he is intentionally delaying her oath to avoid a vote on releasing files about deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump.
"Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona's 7th Congressional District in the process," Mayes—who had threatened legal action last week—said Tuesday. "By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona's 7th Congressional District to taxation without representation. I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy."
The court filing came a day after Johnson publicly suggested he would swear in Grijalva as soon as the shutdown ends, and fired back at her for repeatedly calling him out on social media. The speaker said that "instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents," even though she lacks the resources to do so, because she hasn't yet taken the oath of office.
"I don't have constituents until I'm sworn in," Grijalva told the Associated Press before the suit was filed, noting that the delay means she can't sign a lease on office space in her district.
After the filing, she said in a statement that "Speaker Johnson's obstruction has gone far beyond petty partisan politics—it's an unlawful breach of our Constitution and the democratic process. The voters of Southern Arizona made their choice, yet for four weeks, he has refused to seat a duly elected member of Congress—denying Southern Arizona its constitutional representation."
"I'm proud to join Attorney General Mayes in standing up for the more than 800,000 Arizonans who have been stripped of their voice in Congress," Grijalva added. "Speaker Johnson cannot continue to disenfranchise an entire district and suppress their representation to shield this administration from accountability and block justice for the Epstein survivors."
Welcoming the suit, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said that Mayes "isn't playing around. She just filed a lawsuit against pedo protector Mike! Maybe now he'll stop covering for predators and start giving the people of AZ-07 a voice in Congress."
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'Instead of Doing TikTok Videos, She Should Be Serving Her Constituents,' Johnson Says While Refusing to Swear In Grijalva
One congresswoman pointed out that "she does not have access to an official website for constituents to receive updates, an office phone number for constituents to call, or a congressional email."
Oct 20, 2025
Congressional Democrats were among the critics taking aim at US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Monday for the Louisiana Republican's "genuinely insane" remarks on his refusal to swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona.
Twenty days into a federal government shutdown that resulted from Republicans' fight for healthcare cuts set to negatively impact tens of millions of Americans, Johnson said he would administer the oath of office to Grijalva, "I hope, on the first day we come back."
"Instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents," Johnson added. "She could be taking their calls. She could be directing them, trying to help them through the crisis that the Democrats have created by shutting down the government."
Another Democrat elected to represent Arizonans, Congressman Greg Stanton, fired back at the speaker: "How pathetic. Mike Johnson is now blaming Adelita Grijalva for not doing her job. Quit taking orders from Trump and swear her in now."
Grijalva won the special election for her late father's seat last month, pre-shutdown. Johnson could have swiftly administered the oath of office, and despite the shutdown, he can still do so. He has denied that he has intentionally delayed swearing her in to push off a vote on releasing files about deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump—but many critics don't believe him.
Responding to the speaker on Monday, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said: "Republicans refuse to swear in an elected member of Congress. Why? They are covering up the Epstein files."
As Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes threatens legal action over the delay—with a filing expected this week—Grijalva, Democratic lawmakers, and others have used various social media platforms to call out Johnson.
In one such video, posted online last week, Grijalva speaks with Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.), the newest member of the House, about how he was sworn in just a day after winning his special election, like two of his GOP colleagues.
As viewers of Grijalva's videos know, she finally got access to her office on Capitol Hill last week, but her ability to functionally serve constituents remains limited.
Pointing to similar comments that the House speaker made last week on CNN, Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) explained Monday: "Unlike Mike Johnson, I actually spoke to Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva this week. She does not have access to an official website for constituents to receive updates, an office phone number for constituents to call, or a congressional email to receive news like the rest of Congress. Why? Because until Johnson swears her in, she is not a member of Congress."
Podcaster and writer Matthew Sitman is among those highlighting how this is bigger than Grijalva. He said: "I really don't think it's possible to make a big enough deal of this. If it's accepted that this quisling has absolute, unilateral power to decide when, or even if, to swear in duly elected representatives, they will further abuse that power—why not refuse other Democrats?"
Writer Nick Field similarly wondered, "So why do we think Donald Trump and Mike Johnson will accept the results and seat new House members if they lose the majority in next year's midterms?"
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Arizona AG Threatens Legal Action Against Mike Johnson for 'Egregious' Refusal to Seat Grijalva
"With the House in possession of the certificate of election," Kris Mayes noted, "it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office."
Oct 14, 2025
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sent a letter to US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Tuesday, threatening to "seek judicial relief" if the Louisiana Republican does not immediately swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva or "otherwise provide a reasonable explanation as to when she will be seated."
Grijalva won the special election for her late father's seat in Arizona's 7th District last month, before the ongoing federal government shutdown. Democrats in Congress and other critics have accused Johnson of dragging his feet because she is a key vote to make the US Department of Justice release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump. Although the speaker denied that claim a week ago, he has still declined to swear her in.
"The House of Representatives' uniquely democratic function makes frustrating the will of the voters in selecting their representative particularly egregious," Mayes wrote to Johnson, highlighting that Grijalva "was elected with nearly 70% of the vote, and unofficial results were provided to you by the Arizona secretary of state."
"Grijalva and the state expected that you would follow your usual practice and swear her into office at the earliest opportunity, just as you had done with five previous members elected in special elections," she continued, pointing to Reps. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), Vince Fong (R-Calif.), Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), Randy Fine (R-Fla.), and James Walkinshaw (D-Va.).
Shortly after the letter was sent on Tuesday, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes completed the canvas, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs transmitted a certificate of election. As Mayes explained, that means "Grijalva no longer needs a House resolution to be sworn into office. With the House in possession of the certificate of election, it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office."
The attorney general noted that Johnson and his staff "have provided ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd stories as to why Ms. Grijalva has not been sworn in. In a particularly worrisome comment, an aide connected the swearing-in and admission to the ongoing budget fight, suggesting that the House is trying to use Arizona's constitutional right to representation in the House as a bargaining chip."
Mayes is threatening legal action if her office doesn't hear from Johnson within two days. Grijalva welcomed the development, thanking the attorney general, governor, and secretary of state "for standing up for the voices of 800,000+ Arizonans who currently do not have representation in Congress."
Grijlava also shared a video of the event, during which the state's top leaders reiterated their demands of Johnson.
Asked about the Epstein files and Grijlava on Tuesday, the speaker claimed again that not seating her has nothing to do with the files and contended that the delay is due to her winning after the House was out of session. He then, again, blamed Democrats for the shutdown and suggested she won't be seated until it ends.
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