Two candidates running for Arizona’s Congressional District 7 clashed over the current domestic and international priorities of the Trump Administration at a debate in Tucson Tuesday night.
Democrat Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva, continued her campaign’s messaging centered on criticizing the administration’s immigration crackdowns and federal funding rollbacks.
“I am afraid for the future of our children. I'm afraid for the future of our state and the future of our country,” she said.
On immigration, Grijalva continued her father’s calls for pathways to citizenship, while Republican opponent Daniel Butierez called for change.
“We need to have immigration reform. We absolutely need to do that. The gentleman that was in this seat prior to us spent the last two decades trying to do that. It didn’t work. So I believe it’s time for different leadership,” Butierez said.
Grijalva called out “inhumane” tactics from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The militarization of our communities is something that we have to fight against, and what I will fight for is comprehensive, humane immigration reform with pathways to citizenship,” she said.
Butierez has kept addressing homelessness a campaign priority since his 2024 bid against the late Rep. Grijalva, when he earned about 37% of the vote.
The small business owner talks openly about his own experience facing homelessness after serving prison time for a crime he was later exonerated for, according to court documents on his website.
He also called for finishing the border wall and further enforcement, despite border encounters reaching historic lows since Trump took office, according to Customs and Border Patrol data from June.
“They bring pills through the port…, across the border where there's nobody monitoring or wasn't before, they're bringing in pure fentanyl, and it's killing our people, and I don't care what it costs, an American life matters,” Butierez said.
Grijalva emphasized the impacts of healthcare cuts on those seeking drug treatment programs, instead of the source of the drugs. “We have incredible enforcement, they’re capturing drugs every day. What we really need to focus on is looking at the people, the consumers, early intervention programs, substance abuse programs, coincidentally, all of which are being cut in this upcoming fiscal year,” she said.
Grijalva also voiced more support for Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war, pointing to the United Nations’ findings that Israel’s actions against Palestinians are consistent with that of a genocide, and its declaration of Phase 5 famine in the wartorn region.
“When you look at children who are starving, how can you sit back and say, ‘I'm not going to take a position?’ We have to, and we've seen more and more leaders on both sides of the aisle take a position, and that is something that I'm ready to do, unequivocal condemnation of what's happening there,” she said.
Grijalva called for a two-state solution and a restoration of humanitarian aid, while Butierez said the US should side with Israel.
“The only thing we could do there is back Israel. I mean, there's nothing else going to happen. You're not going to get Hamas to come to the table,” he said.
Butierez faces an uphill battle in the Sept. 23rd election, as Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one in the district that encompasses nearly all of the Arizona-Mexico border, but the winner will join a Republican-led Congress for at least 10 more months.
“I've been under the losing end of a bunch of those situations for years. It's not great, but I think it does make you stronger and really solid in the values that you're carrying with you and why it's important to continue to fight for them,” Grijalva said.
Early voting begins Wednesday, Aug. 27.
