In a shocking clip circulating on social media, an incident shows the moment Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents pepper-sprayed a 1-year-old girl during a family grocery trip in Illinois. The incident took place near the Cicero Sam’s Club parking lot, leaving baby Arinna gasping for air.
Her father, Rafael Veraza, described the scary situation. Veraza said he, his wife, and daughter were in their car when federal agents sprayed pepper spray into the vehicle, striking him in the head and exposing his baby to the chemicals. The officers arrived in a black truck and sprayed from the rolled-down window on the side.
Another clip showed Rafael Veraza and his wife standing in front of their parked car while holding Arinna, crying for help. It was a terrifying moment for the baby, who could have suffered fatal injuries due to the spray for life. The main component of pepper spray is an oil known as oleoresin capsicum.
🚨 Cicero, #Illinois | ICE Controversy#ICE agents allegedly threw pepper spray into a family’s car outside a Sam’s Club near 26th & Ogden, hitting a 1-year-old & her 16-year-old sister.
Father Rafael Veraza, who has asthma was hospitalized after the attack.#LaGranjaVIP Bills pic.twitter.com/kpBvUCdBr6
— Eyes on the Globe (@eyes_globe) November 10, 2025
The spray is legal in many countries and is often used as a form of self-defence. The ingredient is the same as chili pepper, which can cause physical symptoms like a dry cough, panic, a runny nose, and dizziness. The effects subside within 30 minutes on their own without serious treatment. ( via Medical News Today).
According to The Mirror US, the footage shows Veraza wiping his eyes and struggling to breathe while his wife quickly tries to rinse their child’s face with water. Veraza was later hospitalized due to an asthma attack triggered by the pepper spray. At the same time, Arinna suffered irritation but did not require hospital treatment.
The scary incident occurred amid “Operation Midway Blitz” (honors Katie Abraham, whose life was taken by an undocumented immigrant)—a federal immigration enforcement initiative launched by the Trump administration.
The operation began on September 9 in and around Chicago, as ICE agents claimed they would arrest illegal immigrants with criminal records. Since the launch, videos showing aggressive arrests and warrantless detentions by ICE agents have surfaced almost daily.
“‘We’re not protestors,’ Rafael Veraza said. ‘We were not even attacking them. We were trying to leave. I was minding my own business.'”
“A 1-year-old baby was exposed to chemical irritants fired by federal agents from their convoy into the car she was riding in with members of… pic.twitter.com/pejRWZAv5U
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) November 9, 2025
Witnesses describe people being pulled into unmarked SUVs, sparking mass protests outside the ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois. Already, Donald Trump’s deportation policies have been brutally mocked since they began in January 2025.
Yet, with the launch of the Operation Midway Blitz, there have been significant public disruptions, including an arrest during a Halloween parade and another at a day care centre, both of which reportedly occurred in front of children. Despite the government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, the ICE agents continued making arrests, causing even more public unrest.
DHS continues to defend the campaign, calling it an effort to target “the worst of the worst.” Moreover, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s plea to pause immigration raids around Chicago so families could celebrate Halloween “without fear.”
SANCTUARY SIEGE: More than 1,000 illegal aliens were arrested in Illinois during Operation Midway Blitz — a DHS-led crackdown on those who sought refuge under the state’s sanctuary policies. pic.twitter.com/4AzSYF7yNi
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 4, 2025
Yet, ‘MAGA Barbie’ Kristi Noem rejected the plea immediately. “We’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe,” Noem said Thursday at a press conference in Gary, Indiana.
This was right after an incident in the Old Irving Park, where Border Patrol agents clashed with residents during a neighborhood Halloween parade. Locals say tear gas filled the air. “Agents had to deploy crowd control measures,” a DHS spokesperson said afterwards. As protests continue with 15 people arrested at a recent rally, DHS has not indicated when or how the operation will conclude.
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