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 struck by pepper spray amid an immigration raid in the city.

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

Veraza and Herrera told the Chicago Tribune that upon arriving at Sam’s Club, they heard car horns and helicopters overhead — sounds that they said have come to signal an impending immigration raid in the area. Concerned, they decided to leave. As they pulled out of the parking lot, a Border Patrol vehicle allegedly released an orange plume of smoke near their car, which they claim was pepper spray.

Video recorded by Herrera shows the smoke surrounding their vehicle. The footage, later shared by the Chicago Tribune on YouTube, depicts Herrera attempting to comfort Arianna, whose eyes appear swollen in a follow-up recording.

“This is what ICE does. This is what these terrorists do to babies,” a man behind the camera can be heard saying as Arianna cries and Veraza tries to soothe her.

“My first thought was my daughter,” Veraza told the Tribune. “I didn’t even care if it got to me.”
Speaking to ABC7 Chicago, he added, “My daughter was trying to open her eyes. She was struggling to breathe.” Veraza, who has asthma, said he too struggled to breathe.

Both Veraza and Arianna were hospitalized briefly and later recovered. However, Veraza told the Tribune that his daughter has since been more fearful and clingy, not wanting to be left alone.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied the family’s allegations. In a statement posted on X, the agency said, “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 put officers, themselves, and others in danger.”

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for DHS, echoed that message on X, writing, “No. There was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” while directing users to a longer statement from the department.

According to the DHS statement, “Yesterday around 9:30 AM, in the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village, U.S. Border Patrol was attacked while conducting immigration enforcement operations. Border Patrol was accosted by a hostile crowd that boxed them into a street and alleyway. As they were apprehending a subject, agents came under direct gunfire when a male driving a black Jeep Wrangler fired multiple rounds. He immediately fled the scene.”

The statement further alleged that “attackers began throwing bricks and even paint cans from a roof, damaging Border Patrol vehicles,” and credited the Chicago Police Department for assisting in evacuating agents as the situation escalated. “Fortunately, no Border Patrol agents were injured in this attack,” DHS wrote.

Later, DHS said, the same convoy encountered additional attempts to ram Border Patrol vehicles and a separate confrontation at a Sam’s Club parking lot. “As the rioters refused to comply with basic instructions and began throwing objects, Border Patrol deployed crowd control measures, cleared the area, and proceeded to a Sam’s Club parking lot,” the agency stated. Three suspects were arrested for assault, and one driver allegedly fled after striking a government vehicle.

DHS reported that eight U.S. citizens and one “illegal alien” were arrested overall, adding, “Thankfully, no Border Patrol agents were injured during these multiple attacks.”

This incident follows recent comments from Donald Trump, who suggested that ICE raids “haven’t gone far enough.” In a 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he supported the agency’s approach, blaming “liberal judges” for restricting enforcement.

“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 a transcript from CBS News.

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