The Republican and Democratic candidates running to replace the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva in Congressional District 7 faced off for the first time at town hall in Tucson.
Democrat Adelita Grijalva and Republican Daniel Butierez spent much of the town hall hosted by the Arizona Commission of African American Affairs talking about immigration and border security.
Grijalva, who is trying to succeed her father in the southern Arizona congressional district, has long been critical of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, arguing the administration is violating due-process protections.
“Comprehensive immigration reform is critical,” she said. “There is no orderly process right now to get in, and we’re never going to fix the problem, no matter how much we militarize our borders and attack our immigrant community.”
Butierez argued that the U.S. needs a system that better assimilates immigrants into American society.
“They’re coming in with their own beliefs, their own practices, and it’s not the way our country is set up,” he said. “It’s not the way that we bring immigrants into our country.”
Butierez previously said he supports Trump’s mass deportation effort.
Grijalva is considered the favorite in CD7, where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one.
The CD7 special election will be held on Sept. 23. Early voting begins Aug. 27.
