What triggered the 2018 ICE raid that led to pepper-spraying a 1-year-old?
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Executive summary
A Chicago-area family says a Border Patrol/ICE vehicle released pepper spray into their car in a Sam’s Club parking lot on Nov. 9–10, 2025, striking Rafael Veraza, his 1-year-old daughter and other family members; Veraza says he left for the hospital with an asthma attack while his daughter needed only on-scene care [1] [2]. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denies that pepper spray was deployed in that parking lot and says agents were responding to violence against CBP officers nearby, including reported shots fired and projectiles thrown at agents [3] [4] [1].
1. What the family says happened — a sudden attack while leaving a store
Rafael Veraza and his family were in their car in a Sam’s Club parking lot in Cicero when they said they heard helicopters and honking, decided to leave, and were then sprayed through an open window by a masked federal agent driving by; cellphone video circulated showing an orange plume and the family coughing and crying, including the one-year-old [1] [5] [6].
2. Federal agencies’ account — a denied use of pepper spray at that location
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told reporters and posted on social media that “no…pepper spray [was] deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” and DHS characterized the larger enforcement action as responding to a “hostile crowd” that had thrown paint cans and bricks and reported shots fired at CBP officers in Little Village nearby [3] [1] [4].
3. The immediate trigger DHS cites — reports of violence against agents
Multiple outlets report DHS saying agents encountered gunfire and other attacks near Little Village, prompting operations in the area; DHS released images and said agents met a crowd that had stalked and followed an ICE convoy into the parking lot environment, which the agency frames as the precipitating security concern [4] [5] [3].
4. Journalistic corroboration and video evidence — what media outlets show
Local and national outlets published the cellphone video and family statements; outlets including The Hill, Newsweek, ABC7 and the Chicago Tribune reporter who posted on X described footage that appears to show an orange plume entering the vehicle and family members suffering irritation, but those same reports also quote DHS denials [1] [5] [7] [2].
5. Why sources differ — competing narratives and agendas
Veraza’s account and on-the-ground footage present a direct allegation of agents spraying a family that was leaving a shopping trip [6] [2]. DHS frames its narrative around officer safety and crowd violence, denying the specific action in the parking lot while pointing to confrontations and alleged attacks on agents elsewhere in the operation [3] [4]. Media outlets relay both perspectives; no source in the provided set settles which account is complete or provides an independent chain-of-custody forensic analysis of the footage [5] [1].
6. The wider operational context — “Operation Midway Blitz” and enforcement posture
Some outlets place the incident within a broader enforcement initiative described as a large-scale operation in and around Chicago — named in coverage as Operation Midway Blitz — aimed at arresting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, a campaign that has previously involved aggressive tactics and drawn community pushback [8] [5]. DHS statements emphasize officer safety and alleged attacks that, it says, prompted their presence [4] [3].
7. Health and legal consequences reported so far
Veraza reported an asthma attack that required hospitalization after he was hit; his daughter suffered breathing difficulty but did not require hospital care, according to family statements and local coverage [1] [2] [6]. Available reporting in the provided set does not include an independent medical or law-enforcement report confirming the chemical used or formal charges or disciplinary actions against agents (not found in current reporting).
8. What remains unresolved and what to watch next
Key unresolved questions include: whether DHS or CBP personnel in the convoy actually discharged an irritant in the Sam’s Club lot, who specifically deployed it if so, and whether internal or external investigations will corroborate the family’s account — the sources show competing narratives but no final investigative finding yet [3] [1] [5]. Watch for official DHS/CBP investigative releases, independent forensic review of the video, healthcare records, and potential witness or body‑camera corroboration cited by outlets.
Limitations: this analysis uses only the news reports and statements in the supplied sources; they present both the family’s allegation and DHS denials but do not include final investigative findings or forensic confirmation of the chemical agent used [1] [3] [5].