How many complaints have been filed against ICE agents for excessive use of pepper spray?

1. What the reporting documents: multiple alleged deployments, not one tally

Reporting shows a string of high-profile episodes where federal immigration agents have been accused of firing pepper spray, pepper balls, or tear gas at protesters and bystanders — including video-captured moments in Chicago and other cities — and lawsuits and local officials criticizing the tactics ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Individual local stories — such as the family in Cicero who say a one-year-old was pepper-sprayed — are treated as separate incidents; news organizations report the allegations and DHS/agency denials rather than presenting a single national complaint total ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}.

2. Legal actions and complaints are reported as case-by-case, sometimes as lawsuits

Mother Jones and local outlets describe lawsuits and formal complaints tied to use of chemical munitions and crowd-control tactics at specific sites (Broadview ICE facility, Chicago protests), and community leaders and mayors have publicly condemned deployments as endangering residents ^[2]. CBS News and CNN analyze videos and past complaints about federal agents’ use-of-force at protests, and some reporting references civil suits or injunctions that restrict certain crowd-control weapons — but these are discussed per event rather than as an overall count of complaints against ICE for pepper-spray use ^{[1] [9]}.

3. Agency responses often deny or contextualize incidents

In the Cicero/Sam’s Club episode, the family and supporters say agents sprayed them, while the Department of Homeland Security rejected that account and said no pepper spray was used in that parking lot ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Reporting notes DHS statements that agents came under attack in nearby operations and that deployments sometimes occurred to deter agitators or when agents were boxed in; these official responses complicate efforts to characterize every deployment as “excessive” without adjudication ^{[5] [3] [8]}.

4. Journalistic and advocacy sources document patterns but differ in emphasis

CBS News compiled and analyzed video showing agents deploying chemical agents at protests in multiple cities, highlighting patterns of close-range spraying and other forceful tactics ^[1]. Mother Jones and local activists emphasize alleged harms to residents, journalists, and children and have helped drive lawsuits alleging indiscriminate use of chemical munitions ^[2]. Mainstream outlets (Washington Post, NBC, ABC, Newsweek) report specific episodes and the competing narratives — victims’ accounts and DHS denials — leaving the question of formal complaint counts open ^{[6] [5] [10] [8]}.

5. Why a single “complaints filed” number is not in these sources

None of the provided search results offer an aggregate number of complaints filed against ICE agents specifically for excessive pepper-spray use; instead, they provide event-level reporting, local lawsuits, and agency statements (available sources do not mention a consolidated count) ^{[1] [2] [4]}. Federal civil-rights complaint databases or DHS/ICE oversight reports might contain counts, but those documents are not in the current set of sources (available sources do not mention those databases).

6. How to get a reliable count

To produce a verified total you would need to query primary sources not included here: DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties complaint logs, ICE’s internal misconduct complaint records (if public), the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and court dockets for civil suits alleging excessive force by federal immigration agents. None of the listed articles supply that centralized data; they instead document incidents, lawsuits, and policy responses in specific localities (available sources do not mention these datasets) ^{[2] [1]}.

7. Bottom line for readers

Reporting documents multiple, well-publicized allegations and at least some lawsuits and local injunctions tied to use of pepper spray and other chemical munitions by federal immigration agents — but the sources provided do not supply a single verified tally of “complaints filed” against ICE for excessive pepper-spray use. For a defensible number, one must consult DHS/ICE complaint logs or DOJ records directly; the news coverage instead offers incident-by-incident evidence and competing official denials ^{[4] [5] [6] [1] [2] [3]}.