In city after city, the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown has been met by protests and rallies from members of the local community opposed to the White House\u2019s deportation policies. Federal agents from the Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have repeatedly attempted to break up and drive back these crowds through the use of airborne irritants like tear gas and pepper spray, which can cause an array of immediate reactions \u2014 from eye pain to shortness of breath to nausea and vomiting \u2014 intended to temporarily disable their targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DHS has defended its use of these weapons on crowds and said that it \u201cdoes NOT target children,\u201d but after reviewing news accounts, lawsuits and officer-worn body camera footage, as well as verifying incidents by interviewing more than 40 victims or witnesses, ProPublica recently identified more than six dozen instances<\/a> in which children had been harmed by tear gas and pepper spray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are five things you should know about how these airborne weapons have been used during Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown and how their use has particularly harmed children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So-called less lethal weapons like tear gas and pepper spray were developed to inflict severe pain and debilitate adult combatants and rioters, but ProPublica identified 79 children across the country since 2025 who have been harmed by these chemicals after they were deployed by federal immigration officers. Our tally is nearly four times the number cited in a recent congressional report<\/a>, yet it is likely still a vast undercount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Homeland Security has defended its agents\u2019 use of the chemicals and claimed the blame lies with \u201cagitators\u201d in the crowds and parents who put their children in harm\u2019s way. Many children harmed by tear gas and pepper spray were in their cars, at home or walking to school when they came into contact with the airborne weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDozens of children have been harmed by tear gas deployed by immigration agents.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What It\u2019s Like When Officers Deploy Tear Gas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n