Chicago Dad Says His 1-Year-Old Daughter Was Hit by Pepper Spray During Border Patrol Raid: ‘Struggling to Breathe’

A Chicago father alleges that his 1-year-old daughter was exposed to pepper spray during an immigration enforcement operation in the city.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, 25-year-old Rafael Veraza was driving to a Sam’s Club in Cicero with his partner, 24-year-old Evelin Herrera, and their daughter, Arianna Sofiaa, when they came across a Border Patrol unit, according to reports from the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and ABC7 Chicago.

Veraza and Herrera told the Chicago Tribune that when they arrived at Sam’s Club, they heard honking and helicopters overhead — sounds they say have become warning signs of an ongoing immigration raid.

The couple said they chose to leave the store because of the commotion. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, a Border Patrol vehicle passed by and released an orange cloud near their car, which they believe was pepper spray.

Footage recorded by Herrera shows the smoke surrounding their vehicle, and additional video shared by the Chicago Tribune on YouTube shows Herrera comforting their child. In the second clip, Arianna’s eyes look swollen.

In the video, as Arianna cries, a man behind the camera says, “This is what ICE does. This is what these terrorists do to babies,” while Veraza tries to reassure her.

“My first thought was my daughter,” Veraza told the Chicago Tribune. “I didn’t even care if it got to me.” He also told ABC7 Chicago, “My daughter was trying to open her eyes. She was struggling to breathe.”

Veraza, who has asthma, said he also had difficulty breathing. According to the Chicago Tribune, both he and Arianna were briefly hospitalized and later released. Veraza said the incident has left Arianna more clingy and unwilling to be alone.

The Department of Homeland Security denied that pepper spray was used on the family. In a statement on X, the agency wrote, “DHS LAW ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT PEPPER SPRAY CHILDREN.”

“Here are the FACTS,” the statement continued. “During an operation rioters began throwing objects at agents and blocking the road. This did NOT occur in a Sam’s Club parking lot. Border Patrol deployed crowd control measures, and safely cleared the area. When rioters impede law enforcement operations they are putting officers, themselves, and others in danger.”

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for DHS, echoed the denial in another post on X, writing, “No. There was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” and directed users to a longer DHS statement.

According to that statement, at about 9:30 a.m. in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, U.S. Border Patrol agents were “attacked while conducting immigration enforcement operations.” Officials said agents were surrounded by a hostile crowd and were fired upon by a man driving a black Jeep Wrangler, who then fled.

The statement described additional incidents, including objects thrown at agents from rooftops, multiple attempts to ram Border Patrol vehicles, and confrontations at an FBI facility. DHS alleged that individuals continued to impede operations, prompting the use of “crowd control measures” before the convoy continued toward a Sam’s Club parking lot.

DHS said eight U.S. citizens and one “illegal alien” were arrested during the events, and no agents were injured.

This incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of immigration enforcement. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, Donald Trump suggested ICE raids “haven’t gone far enough” and said he supported agents’ actions, claiming that “liberal judges” have restricted them. “You have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people that were thrown outta their countries because they were, you know, criminals,” he said, according to an official transcript shared by CBS News.

Requests for additional comment were sent to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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