Father and Baby Pepper-Sprayed by Federal Agents in Illinois
Posted on 11/11/25 at 15:40
- Father and Baby Attacked
- Abuse Allegations at Sam’s Club
- DHS Denies Use of Pepper Spray
According to Live5News, a father from the Chicago suburbs claims that he and his one-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed by federal agents while in the parking lot of a Sam’s Club in Cicero, Illinois.
Rafael Veraza, a resident of Illinois, said the incident occurred on Saturday, while he was out shopping with his family and came across a group of federal agents deployed in the area.
According to his account, the officers were acting amid clashes with residents, many of whom were angered by recent immigration raids carried out near the Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Mexican community.
Veraza said he was not part of any protest and was simply trying to leave the area when he was attacked with pepper spray at close range, affecting both him and his young daughter.
Family Denounces Abuse of Authority in Cicero
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The family stated that the attack happened inside their vehicle, with the windows open.
“A masked agent aimed a pepper spray gun and fired directly,” Veraza recounted tearfully, explaining that the chemical hit his face and his daughter’s eyes.
He said his baby, Arianna, began crying and struggling to breathe while his wife tried desperately to help her.
A video recorded by the family shows the moments after the incident, with the father trying to open his eyes and the baby crying in pain from the effects of the spray.
Father Pepper-Sprayed in Sam’s Club Parking Lot Demands Justice
Here’s video of federal agents doing a drive by pepper spraying that hit a father and his one-year old on Saturday when the Feds were hitting Little Village and Cicero pic.twitter.com/hV8YBI3o8z
— Gregory Royal Pratt (@royalpratt) November 9, 2025
Reverend Matt DeMateo, a well-known local pastor, arrived to assist the family and document what happened.
“They’re all U.S. citizens. They were attacked for no reason while shopping. This can’t happen again,” he said.
DeMateo insisted that there was no provocation for the attack, adding that families were merely trying to leave the parking lot when federal agents deployed pepper spray and other chemical agents.
The video of the incident quickly went viral, sparking outrage on social media and calls for an investigation into alleged abuse of power.
DHS Denies Allegations and Defends Operation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied the family’s claims, stating that “no crowd-control devices or pepper spray were used in the Sam’s Club parking lot.”
Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents were responding to “a hostile crowd” that threw objects at federal vehicles.
Saturday marked another day of unrest in the Chicago area, where federal operations have already led to over 3,200 arrests.
Civil rights organizations have strongly criticized federal tactics, accusing agents of excessive use of force in Latino neighborhoods.
Federal Judge Limits Use of Force
Tensions in Cicero escalated after a federal judge in Chicago issued an injunction restricting federal agents’ use of force in order to prevent abuse of authority.
The measure came after it was revealed that a senior Border Patrol official lied about supposed threats from protesters in prior cases.
The order bans the use of tear gas or pepper bullets, except when “objectively necessary” to prevent immediate harm.
The DHS has appealed the decision, while investigations continue into the Cicero pepper-spray attack involving Rafael Veraza and his daughter — an episode that has reignited the debate over law enforcement accountability and civil rights protections in immigration operations.
