MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis couple reported that they were caught between protesters and immigration officers this past week. During the chaotic scene, an officer rolled a tear gas canister under their family’s SUV, inundating the vehicle with toxic fumes. The incident left them and several of their six children, including an infant, needing hospital treatment.
The ordeal that the Jackson family experienced on Wednesday underlines the potential hazards that individuals can encounter amid the ongoing protests against immigration enforcement actions in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Trump administration's heightened crackdown has affected numerous locals, many of whom were demonstrating against the operation.
Destiny Jackson, 26, explained that her family was returning home from a basketball game when they arrived at a barricaded street near an earlier incident where a federal officer had shot a suspect during an arrest attempt.
As they approached, Jackson observed people milling around and the atmosphere seemed relatively calm, prompting her to stop the car to inquire about the situation. After locating her mother, Jackson spent 20-30 minutes trying to persuade her to leave the area.
She later shared, I was just trying to get her to go home. I’ve only seen these things on TV. Some end well, some don’t. As tensions escalated, the family chose to leave, only to be confronted by federal authorities who urged their exit.
Awaiting an opportunity to depart, Jackson noted an increase in violent sounds around them, with flash-bang grenades echoing and smoke permeating the environment. When it seemed that they had a chance to escape, a federal officer rolled a tear gas canister under their vehicle.
Upon hearing the explosive noise as the canister discharged, Jackson stated that the car's airbags deployed, flooding the interior with gas. The frantic cries of her children for air prompted a desperate response from Jackson, who struggled to unlock the door and get them out. She recalled her six-month-old son being unresponsive.
Emergency services responded to reports of an infant in respiratory distress, attending to the family amidst the protest chaos. According to authorities, the infant was stabilized but in serious condition by the time he was taken to a hospital, along with Jackson and three other children.
Addressing the incident, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, insisted that their officers were reacting to perceived threats from demonstrators and did not intentionally target the Jackson family or their children.
In the wake of her family's traumatic experience, Jackson noted she has received hostile messages and threats online regarding the incident. She remarked, I try not to pay attention to the negative. I know what was going on. I know what my intentions were. I was on my way home.\
