A suburban Chicago father and his 1-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at close range as they headed grocery shopping over the weekend and happened upon federal immigration agents, the family said.
Rafael Veraza said the incident happened in a Sam's Club parking lot in Cicero on Saturday, amid escalating clashes between immigration agents and frustrated area residents. The suburb shares a border with Little Village, a largely Mexican community facing a federal immigration crackdown.
According to Veraza, they were sitting in their car when they heard a helicopter and honking—a common sign of federal agents nearby—and chose to leave. A masked agent then pointed a pepper-spray gun through their window and fired it, affecting both him and his daughter.
Veraza's daughter struggled to open her eyes, and local pastor Rev. Matt DeMateo recorded footage of the family in distress, emphasizing that they were not part of any protests. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the family's claims, asserting that there was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed.
Saturday marked a day of tense encounters, with federal operations resulting in over 3,200 arrests. Local residents protested against what they see as overreaching tactics by immigration enforcement, leading to claims of violence and allegations against federal agents. Community leaders are insisting on a reevaluation of these enforcement strategies amid ongoing concerns about the impact on families.
