Family Hospitalized After ICE Uses Chemical Irritants During North Minneapolis Protest
A North Minneapolis family of six, including a six-month-old baby, was hospitalized after ICE agents deployed chemical irritants and stun grenades during a Jan. 14 protest. Witnesses say the family was trapped in traffic when a flashbang detonated beneath their vehicle, sending them to the hospital for treatment.
Children hospitalized for decontamination
A family of six, including a six-month-old baby, was hospitalized after ICE agents used chemical irritants and stun grenades during a protest in North Minneapolis on Jan. 14, witnesses said.
Destiny Jackson, a mother of six, said she and her family were trying to drive home from her eldest child’s basketball game when they became trapped in the growing protest.
“Our car just went boom, and we went up in the air a little bit and came back down. All of our airbags deployed. Tear gas started pouring in, and I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see,” Jackson said, describing what she said was a flashbang thrown under her vehicle.
Jackson said her mother, who had been protesting, was able to reach them, but ICE agents continued to demand they leave. According to Jackson, agents deployed a flashbang and chemical irritants, and witnesses brought the family inside a nearby home to safety. She said her six-month-old baby required three minutes of CPR before regaining responsiveness.
“My kids were just crying. All five of my older children were crying. They didn’t know what was going on or why we were targeted,” she said. “All they kept saying was ‘my baby brother, my baby brother,’ and they were gasping for air. People were pouring milk all over their faces.”
The Department of Homeland Security contradicted the family’s account. In a statement, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said DHS law enforcement did not target the family or their children during the protest. She described federal agents as responding to a volatile crowd situation after “three criminal illegal aliens violently beating a law enforcement officer with weapons.”
McLaughlin said when “hundreds of rioters and agitators surrounded law enforcement, agents “followed their training and reasonably deployed crowd control measures.” She blamed local leaders for encouraging resistance to federal officers.
The protest followed an incident in which an ICE agent shot a man in the leg as he ran back into his home, according to city officials. He and his family, including a child and a pregnant wife, were taken into ICE custody, according to witnesses.
Residents who confronted agents said ICE vehicles were abandoned in the street after officers retreated. Community members reported taking documents and items from the vehicles, which they said included contact information for federal personnel, detainee transport maps, and tokens marked “ICE” in the shape of a skull wearing a crown.
Authorities confirmed the Department of Homeland Security is offering up to $100,000 for information regarding vandalized vehicles.
“ICE is causing so much danger. I have school-aged kids, and they come home with questions,” Jackson said. “They’re wondering why their friends aren’t at school. My son is wondering why his basketball games are canceled. I’m telling them ICE is scaring everyone. It’s just so crazy because we never thought we would be a target.”
Jackson and her family were treated at a hospital, decontaminated, and given asthma medication before returning home. She said hospital staff were helpful but the process was emotionally difficult.
“It felt dehumanizing,” she said. “Having to strip naked in front of staff to scrub off chemicals, and watching my children, including my infant, go through the same process was heartbreaking.”
Jackson’s experience highlights what residents say is the increasing use of chemical irritants by ICE in residential areas. While considered “non-lethal,” exposure to such irritants can cause short-term effects including difficulty breathing, vision problems, and chest pain. Repeated exposure can lead to longer-term health risks such as chemical burns and respiratory failure.
“We’re just asking for the community’s help in supporting our family and our kids,” Jackson said. “Right now, we can only stay home and reassure them that they are going to be okay.
“My daughter woke up this morning and said, ‘I don’t want to go outside.’ She can’t. They can’t get to school because we don’t have a vehicle anymore.” The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover expenses while their car is out of commission and while both parents care for their children at home.
Izzy Canizares is a freelance journalist and contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder