CHICAGO (AP) — 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, according to the family.
Rafael Veraza said the incident took place in a Sam’s Club parking lot in Cicero, where tensions have escalated amid an aggressive crackdown on immigration violations in the area. The suburb borders the predominantly Mexican neighborhood of Little Village, which has been a focal point in the ongoing federal immigration enforcement actions that began two months ago in the region.
Veraza reported that while leaving the parking lot, a masked agent aimed a pepper-spray gun through their car window, hitting both him and his daughter. Veraza stated that his daughter struggled to open her eyes and was gasping for breath as his wife attempted to comfort her.
The incident occurred during a weekend marked by heightened confrontation between federal agents and local residents, with reports indicating several other cases of aggression and use of chemical agents by agents from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded to the family's allegations, stating that no pepper spray was deployed during the encounter.
The violent exchange has raised serious concerns about the tactics used by federal agents amidst a campaign that has seen over 3,200 arrests in the Chicago area alone. The public reliance on signs and signals to warn of immigration officers suggests a community under siege, leading to increasing public outrage.
As events unfolded, community leaders, including local pastors, voiced their frustration over the government's handling of immigration enforcement, demanding a reevaluation of how policies are implemented, especially concerning families and children. The ongoing legal and social struggles in these neighborhoods starkly illustrate the complex reality of immigration enforcement in America today.
