Family Pepper-Sprayed During Clashes with Immigration Agents in Chicago Suburb

Tue Nov 11 2025 00:58:51 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A father and his toddler were pepper-sprayed while grocery shopping in Cicero, Illinois, amid escalating tensions between immigration enforcement and local residents.

In a recent incident in Cicero, Illinois, Rafael Veraza and his one-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at a Sam's Club parking lot as federal immigration agents conducted operations in the area. Veraza shared his daughter struggled to breathe after the attack, while the Department of Homeland Security denied the events unfolded as described. This incident occurs amidst a broader crackdown on immigration, which has led to significant tensions and confrontations in the community, particularly in neighborhoods like Little Village.

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, the family said.

Rafael Veraza said the incident happened in a Sam’s Club parking lot in Cicero on Saturday, amid escalating clashes that day between immigration agents and frustrated area residents. The suburb shares a border with the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village, a largely Mexican enclave that has frequently been at the center of a federal immigration crackdown that began two months ago in the nation’s third-largest city.

Veraza said the family was in their car when they heard a helicopter and honking, common signals in the Chicago area these days that federal agents are nearby. They decided to leave.

That’s when a masked agent pointed a pepper-spray gun through their vehicle’s open window and fired. A cloudy substance hit Veraza in the face, which also affected his daughter, according to a video taken by the family.

“My daughter was trying to open her eyes,” Veraza told reporters Sunday, as his wife held their daughter nearby. “She was struggling to breathe.”

“A family, and I shouldn’t have to say this, but guess what? All U.S. citizens attacked while shopping,” he said. “We need a better way.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security flatly rejected the family’s account. “There was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement sent to the Associated Press Monday.

In the wake of this incident, tensions have risen as the enforcement operation in the area has seen over 3,200 arrests suspected of violating immigration laws. Reports of aggressive tactics used by federal agents continue to ignite community outrage, particularly in areas like Little Village, where signs warning ICE agents to stay away are prevalent.

DHS has also faced scrutiny over its enforcement tactics amid allegations of violence against a largely unarmed civilian population. Protests have escalated, with local residents claiming they are being unfairly targeted during these immigration operations.