Progressive Democrats have waste no time praised the legacy of Rep. Raul Griarba (D-Ariz.), a subdivisional progressive lion who passed away Thursday at age 77 after his fight against lung cancer.
Grijalva remembered Grijalva not only as a fierce champion of environment, immigrant rights and economic justice, but also as a leader of like-minded lawmakers who saw him as a hero, hero and role model.
Grijalva said, Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), “a real giant of the home and the progressive movement… the champion of environmental and environmental justice, and he was a real leader and friend to me.”
Casar, 35, said he knew Grijalva was a legendary figure in the fight against the controversial Arizona law known as the SB-1070, targeting immigrants living in the country without legal status. The “Show My Paper” Act, passed in 2010, required that people in the country carry documents proof of their status or arrest legally.
Later, after arriving at Capitol Hill in 2023, Casar said he enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Grijalva about “about music and dominoes and when we were planning to get real Mexican food in DC.”
“As a truly young Latino in politics, there wasn't much progress in Latino with a truly national profile that I respect,” Casar said. “And he was someone I was so proud to call someone I admire and I was able to serve too quickly.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a former CPC chair, has similar memories. She recalled an argument with Grillarva in 2019 when she was ready to replace him as CPC co-chair. For the past decade, Griarba held that post, the longest serving chair in CPC history.
“When we had a conversation about it, I was the first vice-chairman — he said, “It's very important that we have people who are already fighting in the movement.” And I said, “Well, we're just following your path, Lal,” Jayapal said.
“I didn't have to wonder where Grijalva was going to vote critically. He was always going to replace people and he was personally incredible support for me,” she continued. “He was a champion of so many big issues. When he was fighting as an elected official, I was sleeping in the church cellar for the SB-1070. …It was a huge loss and my thoughts are passed on to his family. And I hope they know how strong his legacy will become for so long.”
Grillarva, the son of a Mexican migrant worker, was first elected to Congress in 2002 and soon established himself as a liberal champion of the low and working classes. He became co-chair of the CPC in 2009, and in 2019 when Democrats gained control of the House, he became chairman of the powerful Natural Resources Committee.
From that perch, Grijalva led the Democratic accusations in the fight against climate change and helped Democrats create a sweeping climate bill passed under former President Biden.
After Grijalva's death on Thursday, minority leader Haekum Jeffries (DN.Y.) welcomed the Arizona veteran for his long career in public services that began long before he came to Washington, and he welcomed him as “at least a progressive warrior who was lost, left to the left, and left to the left.”
“He was a lot of mentors and a friend of all of them,” Jeffries said.
