BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS — Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas and pepper spray outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, striking protesters and bystanders that included a one-year-old girl hit through the driver's side window of a family's car. The infant stopped breathing after exposure to the chemical agents, and her family said she was struggling to breathe following the incident.

An officer fired pepper balls at the crowd, and videos showed a federal agent releasing tear gas with at least seven children present. A Customs and Border Protection agent wearing a body camera fired pepper balls at protesters without apparent provocation, muttering an expletive and shouting in apparent celebration as the rounds were discharged. A separate CBP officer cheered after other agents threw tear gas canisters and shot pepper balls at demonstrators outside the facility.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a written statement, "DHS does NOT target children." The agency said ICE officers are taught to use "the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations," including consideration of the totality of circumstances when deploying crowd control measures and training in de-escalation tactics. It added, "But if you assault an officer or attempt to obstruct law enforcement activities you can expect to be met with an appropriate response."

A DHS spokesperson said the fault for injuries to children lies with "agitators" in the crowds and parents who put their children in harm's way. The spokesperson called the car incident "a disgusting pepper spray hoax." In many cases, the spokesperson said officers were justified in using tear gas or pepper spray but did not address how the weapons affected bystanders, including children.

A local pastor testified at an Illinois state accountability commission that there was video evidence of the incidents. ProPublica identified 79 children across the United States who have been harmed by tear gas or pepper spray during President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, a tally nearly four times the number cited in a recent congressional report that relied on news stories. ProPublica verified incidents by interviewing more than 40 victims or witnesses and reviewing officer-worn body camera footage, social media posts and lawsuits.

Chemicals from the agents blew through the air for blocks near children's homes and schools, seeped into bedrooms and forced an asthmatic teenager to gasp for air. The substances stuck to the skin of a young girl, who said, "It burns!" Tear gas and pepper spray are more toxic to children because children breathe more rapidly relative to their body weight, have narrower airways and stand closer to the ground where tear gas tends to pool.

Judges in cities across the country have said that ICE and CBP officers used excessive force when deploying tear gas or pepper spray, and have ordered officers to limit their use in areas that were the focus of related lawsuits. No national standard governs the use of tear gas and pepper spray by law enforcement, and DHS policies differ widely.