An Inland Empire lawmaker is demanding answers after she said “chemical agents” were used against her and members of Congress who were illegally denied access to a federal building.

In a Thursday, June 12, letter, Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, said she went to the emergency room and must take medication after the Saturday, June 7, incident at the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.

The letter to Acting Director of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement Todd Lyons seeks “prompt answers” as to why chemicals were used, who ordered their use and why Torres’ delegation was denied entry to Roybal.

“More than 1,000 rioters” surrounded the building when lawmakers tried to enter it, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said via email Friday, June 13.

“They were assaulting ICE law enforcement officers, slashing tires, burning American flags and defacing buildings and taxpayer funded property,” McLaughlin said. “Due to the rioting, the lawmakers were turned away in the interest of their safety and the safety of our law enforcement.”

According to Torres, four members of Congress went to Roybal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday seeking information about people in federal immigration custody at the building.

In her letter, Torres wrote the visit stemmed from “reports of violent encounters involving ICE agents and unidentified bystanders during raids at multiple locations in Los Angeles County, as well as reports of dangerous overcrowding at the facility.”