In response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, local residents have been holding protests and rallies in various cities in opposition to the White House’s deportation policy. Federal agents from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have repeatedly attempted to disperse and drive back these crowds, using airborne irritants such as tear gas and pepper spray that cause immediate reactions ranging from eye pain to shortness of breath to nausea and vomiting, with the goal of temporarily incapacitating targets.
DHS has defended the use of these weapons against crowds, saying that “children are not the target,” but after reviewing news articles, lawsuits, officer-worn body camera footage, and interviewing more than 40 victims and witnesses to review the incidents, ProPublica recently identified more than 60 cases in which children were harmed by tear gas or pepper spray.
Here are five things you need to know about how these airborne weapons have been used during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and how their use has particularly harmed children.
Dozens of children were hit by tear gas deployed by immigration officials.
So-called less-lethal weapons such as tear gas and pepper spray were developed to inflict severe pain and debilitation on adult combatants and rioters, but since 2025, ProPublica has identified 79 children nationwide who have been harmed by these chemicals after being deployed by federal immigration agents. Although our tally is nearly four times the number cited in a recent Congressional report, it is still likely significantly lower.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the agency’s use of the chemical, saying the blame lies with the “instigators” of the crowd and the parents who put their children at risk. Many children affected by tear gas and pepper spray came into contact with airborne weapons while in their cars, at home, or while walking to school.
What happens when police use tear gas?
Tear gas and pepper spray are especially toxic to children.
There is no such thing as “tear gas.” This is a general term for a variety of chemical irritants that exist as fine powders and cause a burning sensation in nerve endings. The chemicals burn your lungs and throat, inflaming your airways to the point where you feel like you’re breathing through a straw, and snot and tears run down your face. It can cause vomiting, rash, and cough that lasts for several weeks. Pepper spray is made from a compound found in chili peppers and causes a similar effect.
These weapons are especially dangerous for young people because children breathe faster than adults and can inhale more contaminated air for their weight. Children are also more vulnerable because their airways are narrower and closer to the ground, making it easier for tear gas to accumulate after it is deployed. The Trump administration’s use of tear gas is so unusual that no one yet knows what long-term harm it may cause to children who come into contact with these chemicals, some of whom have had multiple exposures.
The court found that the investigators’ use of tear gas was excessive, but there are limits to their authority.
In November 2025, a federal judge in Illinois ruled that ICE and CBP officers used these chemicals “without justifiable reason and often without warning” against people who posed no physical threat. The judge said this amounted to an illegal use of excessive force and ordered the agency to stop. However, her injunction covered only the areas mentioned in the complaint. Agents were given freedom to continue using their weapons elsewhere.
Federal agents in Portland, Oregon, responded to a rally on January 31 and fired a variety of less-lethal weapons into the crowd, including a triple chaser grenade that each split into three tear gas canisters. Dozens of pepper ball projectiles filled with chemical weapons. There were also “rubber ball grenades” that emitted stinging bullets, bright lights and loud sounds. So a judge issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits federal agents from using chemical weapons unless they target someone who poses an “imminent threat of physical harm.”
However, an appeals court later reversed the Illinois judge’s ruling and multiple rulings by a Portland judge that had sought to block the use of these weapons.
These weapons are difficult to contain once deployed.
The Trump administration has defended its staff training, saying ICE officers are taught to use “the least amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations,” but tear gas canisters fired into crowds not only ricochet and roll unpredictably, but toxic chemicals can travel through the air and sometimes reach blocks. In Minneapolis, ProPublica found that tear gas traveled at least 400 meters before permeating a McDonald’s.
Derrick Nash and his family live a block and a half east of the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. Even from that distance, when police sprayed tear gas on protesters, they felt the effects inside their homes. Each time the tear gas penetrated, the children, ages 6 to 17, coughed, often causing their throats to burn. My eldest son, a high school senior who suffers from asthma, was hiding in his second-floor bedroom. One night, when he coughed uncontrollably and took an inhaler, his face turned red.
“He was wriggling around and saying, ‘I can’t breathe,'” Nash recalled. The family considered calling an ambulance, but the road was blocked.
There are no national standards for the use of tear gas.
Law enforcement policies governing the use of tear gas and pepper spray vary widely by region, and there are no federal standards. DHS’ force policy states that officers should employ tactics that “minimize the risk of accidental injury” and adhere to “respect for human life.” CBP policy says officers “should not” use pepper spray or “less-lethal” chemical munitions against “small children.” ICE policy states that the “presence of other officers, subjects, or bystanders” is a factor in determining whether an officer’s use of force is reasonable.
Compare this to the tear gas policies of two cities that have experienced President Trump’s immigration crackdown firsthand. In Portland, police officers considering using tear gas must consider the proximity to homes. Meanwhile, the city of Minneapolis prohibits the use of chemical munitions for crowd control without the permission of the police chief, even if officers are at risk of physical harm.
Experts told ProPublica that requiring all law enforcement agencies to adopt uniform policies and training methods would go a long way. At the same time, they acknowledge that this will likely require Congress to pass legislation requiring federal law enforcement agencies to adopt stricter practices and encourage local police departments to do the same.
To date, no bill to strengthen use-of-force training on such a large scale or to target DHS and its use of weapons has even reached a vote in Congress. Following ProPublica’s investigation, U.S. lawmakers began calling for reforms to the use of these weapons by immigration agents.
