Arizona’s 7th Congressional District candidates debate immigration, Gaza ahead of special election

The candidates running in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District squared off over a wide range of topics, from border security to foreign policy, during the last debate before September’s special election.

Democrat Adelita Grijalva and Republican Daniel Butierez are running to fill a vacancy in the 7th Congressional District, a blue district that was represented for decades by the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva.

Both candidates attempted to portray themselves as the right person to deliver results for the district’s residents, though Grijalva said she would not vote for bad legislation even if it included carve outs to benefit her district.

“How un-American for you to throw the rest of the country under the bus in order to save yourself?” she said, referring to reports that Congressional Republican leadership offered concessions to GOP holdouts to pass President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that included cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other federal programs.

Butierez, on the other hand, indicated he would leverage his vote to extract concessions for the district.

“The biggest thing is that I would have the majority in Washington behind me,” he said. “The next big thing is they would want me to win again next year, so I would obviously have to bring resources to Arizona that would make Arizona want to elect me again next year.”

Immigration and border security

The district covers a large swath of the Arizona-Mexico border, from parts of Yuma to Douglas, and the candidate staked out starkly different positions on immigration enforcement and border security.

During the debate, Grijalva decried immigration enforcement tactics employed by the Trump administration, saying the federal government is using inhumane methods and denying due process rights.

“And I'm very frightened of what it's going to look like next year when ICE's budget is not doubled, but 20 times what It is right now,” Grijalva said, referring to $75 billion in new funding sent to the immigration enforcement agency over the next four years under Trump’s tax cut and spending package approved by Republicans in Congress.

Grijalva said Congress should pursue comprehensive immigration reform to provide a pathway to citizenship for people currently in the country without legal status, arguing they are valuable members of the community who also contribute significantly to the southern Arizona economy.

“We have people in our communities that have lived here for over two decades and still do not have a pathway to citizenship,” Grijalva said. “We have DACA recipients that do not have a pathway to citizenship.”

Butierez agreed that comprehensive immigration reform is needed.

“And the gentleman that was in this seat prior to us has spent the last two decades trying to do that. It didn't work,” he said. “So I believe it's time for different leadership, a different direction.”

Butierez also praised the work of immigration enforcement officials under the Trump Administration, arguing the administration isn’t violating the law as it seeks to deport an unprecedented number of undocumented immigrants.

“The ICE agents are doing what the law requires them to do, not what the administration's requiring them to do,” Butierez said. “The only thing the administration's requiring them to do is enforce the laws that are already on the book.”

Butierez also said the federal government needs to invest in improving ports of entry as part of its efforts to prevent illegal border crossings.

“I do believe we need to finish the wall,” he said.

Grijalva argued that the federal government is not adequately addressing the environmental impact of expanding the border wall through sensitive ecosystems.

Increased border security is also affecting tribal communities, such as the Tohono O'odham people, who have lands and sacred sites on both sides of the border that are becoming more difficult to travel between, Grijalva said.

“So it's an incredible cost,” she said.

Grijalva said she’s rather see federal funds dedicated to modernizing ports of entry and increasing the number of customs officials to facilitate trade and the cross-border workforce.

Foreign policy

While discussing the war in Gaza, Butierez said, “I stand with Israel.”

He added, “As long as Hamas is in there, controlling that country, we're not going to get anything accomplished.”

Grijalva said the U.S. should “compel Israel to come to the table to create a two-state solution.”

“It's not perfect, but will it bring an end to the devastation of the people?” she said. “I absolutely agree with that, and think when you look at the United Nations, not only declaring a stage famine, but also declaring a genocide, I think it's important that we understand that there is a systematic attack on people.”

And she said criticism of the Israeli government shouldn’t be conflated with anti-Semitism.

“The same way I can condemn Hamas, I am supportive of the Palestinian people being able to live in peace, security and dignity," Grijalva said. “Israelis should be able to do the same.”

Elsewhere in foreign policy, Butierez and Grijalva agreed the U.S. should continue to provide support to Ukraine, though Butierez acknowledged he did not always feel that way.

“But at this point in time, we’re too far into this,” he said. “Russia can't continue on. We need to get in there and support them, period, and end this war.”

Tariffs

During a short portion of the debate on tariffs, the two candidates also agreed that the federal government should provide financial support to small businesses and households if they are negatively affected by President Trump’s widespread tariffs.

However, they disagreed on how large a role Congress should play in setting those tariffs.

Grijalva said Congress should have a larger role in limiting Trump’s tariff powers.

Butierez disagreed.

The election

Two additional candidates will appear on the 7th Congressional District general election ballot: the Arizona Green Party’s Eduardo Quintana and No Labels’ candidate Richard Grayson.

The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which hosted the debate, and its broadcast partner the Arizona Media Association adopted a new rule last year that requires candidates to receive at least 1% of the total ballots cast in all primaries for their office to qualify for general election debates in statewide and federal races.

The rule effectively shuts out candidates from third parties, which typically have low voter registration numbers and primary election participation.

The 7th Congressional District special election is on Sept. 23. Early voting is underway and the last day to request an early ballot is Sept. 12.