By Peter.
A heartbreaking incident unfolded in Cicero, Illinois, on Saturday, November 8, when a one-year-old girl, Ariana Veraza, and her father Rafael were allegedly hit with pepper spray by federal Border Patrol agents during a chaotic immigration enforcement operation spilling over from nearby Little Village in Chicago. 😢🚔
Cellphone video captured the aftermath: Rafael struggling to wipe burning irritant from his eyes while comforting his crying toddler, who was “trying to open her eyes” and “struggling to breathe.” The family—U.S. citizens heading to Sam’s Club for groceries—had windows down when a dark pickup truck allegedly pulled alongside and sprayed the chemical directly into their vehicle “for no reason,” Rafael said at a Sunday press conference.
They spotted helicopters and whistles signaling ICE activity, decided to leave to avoid trouble, but were targeted anyway. Rafael, who has asthma, and Ariana were briefly hospitalized; a pastor who stopped to help described all four family members “struggling to breathe, their faces burning.”
The family insists they weren’t protesting or involved: “I was not a protester. I didn’t have nothing against them.” They’re now exploring legal action for Ariana’s ongoing care.
DHS flatly denies it: Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “No. There was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” while highlighting attacks on agents earlier in Little Village—gunshots from a black Jeep, bricks/paint cans thrown, vehicles rammed.
Agents had just used crowd control measures there before heading to the parking lot, where DHS says followers stalked them and a vehicle rammed one of theirs—no direct explanation for the family’s video showing orange mist.
This comes amid “Operation Midway Blitz,” escalating tensions, and a recent court injunction limiting force after a judge called Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino a liar in prior incidents.
Viral clips have sparked outrage online, with millions viewing the family’s distress and debates raging over agent safety vs. excessive force.
#PepperSprayIncident #CiceroIllinois #LittleVillage #BorderPatrol #ICEOperations #ArianaVeraza #RafaelVeraza #DHS #ImmigrationEnforcement #ChicagoNews #OperationMidwayBlitz #ChildEndangerment 🇺🇸😡🚨
