Dad says he and his toddler were pepper sprayed by federal immigration agents [View all]

Source: NBC News/AP

Nov. 10, 2025, 4:15 PM EST


CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago father and his 1-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at close range as they were headed to go 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.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chicago-family-pepper-spray-allegations-ice-immigration-cicero-rcna242536