(CICERO, ILLINOIS) A weekend immigration enforcement stop in a suburban parking lot has ignited new debate over force used by Border Patrol during Chicago-area operations. On Saturday, November 8, 2025, Rafael Veraza said agents pepper-sprayed him and his one-year-old daughter, Arianna, as their car idled in a Sam’s Club parking lot in Cicero. Veraza told reporters he was heading to buy groceries with family when an officer approached and sprayed without warning, leaving him unable to breathe and his toddler crying and gasping. Both were briefly hospitalized. The Department of Homeland Security has firmly denied that pepper-spray was used in that location.
Family’s account of what happened
Veraza described the burst of chemical spray as coming from the front of the car toward the back while his driver-side window was down. “Basically I got sprayed all over my face,” he said, adding that his history of asthma made the exposure feel immediately life-threatening. “The moment that it hit me, I couldn’t breathe.”
In the back seat, Arianna tried to open her eyes and struggled to take in air, he said, as relatives shouted for help and bystanders began recording. The family’s account spread quickly through Little Village and nearby Cicero, areas deeply woven into Chicago’s Mexican-American life.
DHS response and competing narrative
Within hours, DHS disputed the core claim. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said there was “no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” arguing that agents had entered the lot moments after confronting unrest in Little Village.
According to DHS:
– Federal officers had just used crowd-control measures in response to what they described as gunfire from a black Jeep Wrangler aimed at agents.
– Civilians then followed the convoy into the lot.
– One vehicle allegedly rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, shattering a window that DHS says it documented with images.
Residents who dispute the government’s description say they heard loud bangs but did not see armed civilians firing. They insist the heavy police and federal response spiraled into confusion and panic.
Advocates have urged the release of full body-worn camera footage and dispatch logs to reconcile competing accounts.
Context: Operation Midway Blitz
The clash unfolded against the backdrop of Operation Midway Blitz, an immigration sweep that began about two months earlier and has concentrated activity in Little Village.
- Advocates describe the effort as part of a broader federal immigration crackdown launched under President Trump.
- Border Patrol vehicles have had a regular presence in and around immigrant business corridors.
- Residents say the tactics are heavy-handed and create fear for mixed-status families going about daily life.
Community reaction and firsthand responses
Community leaders rushed to the scene in Cicero after word spread about a child allegedly exposed to pepper-spray. Rev. Matt DeMateo, who said he arrived while the family was still in distress, recorded video and rebuked what he called reckless enforcement.
Quote from Rev. DeMateo: “A family, and I shouldn’t have to say this, but guess what? All U.S. citizens attacked while shopping. We need a better way.”
That footage, shared among church networks and immigrant advocates, added human detail to a dispute already fueled by competing official narratives and shaky cellphone clips.
Legal backdrop and implications
Legal friction around the operation escalated just days before the Cicero incident.
- A federal judge had tightened rules on how immigration agents may use force against residents and journalists during Midway Blitz, according to court filings cited by local advocates.
- Those orders are being appealed, setting up a test of how far federal officers can go in fast-moving encounters within dense urban neighborhoods.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s published policy, the CBP Use of Force Policy, outlines when officers may use chemical agents and other tools, though its application to specific events often becomes the center of later investigations.
Civil liberties lawyers say the narrowed rules aim to reduce risk to bystanders, working reporters, and legal observers during rolling enforcement. VisaVerge.com, which tracks federal immigration actions nationwide, has noted that contested narratives from fast-moving scenes often end up in court, where judges seek clarity on what officers knew and when they acted.
Arrests and community impact
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement tallied several arrests tied to the wider operation.
- The National Lawyer’s Guild of Chicago said at least nine people were taken into federal custody.
- Four were arrested by Chicago Police Department officers on Saturday.
- All but one of the federal detainees were expected to be released.
Those numbers, while modest by the scale of city policing, carry heavy weight in households where a single detention can mean missed paychecks, a scramble for childcare, and worries about court dates. Parents described keeping children home from weekend activities, fearing another surge of agents and tense confrontations.
Points of contention and evidence to watch
DHS officials spotlighted the reported gunshots as the trigger for heightened tactics in Little Village, saying agents exercised restraint while under threat and pointing to the damaged vehicle window as evidence of risk.
Opponents say:
– They heard loud bangs but saw no armed civilians firing.
– The heavy response led to confusion, panic, and potential harm to bystanders.
Important items that could influence the outcome:
– Body-worn camera footage
– Medical records
– Property damage reports
– Dispatch logs
The agency’s denial—specifically the statement that there was “no crowd control or pepper spray” used in the Sam’s Club lot—will likely be measured against any of the above materials produced in the coming days.
Family next steps and community concerns
Veraza’s family, backed by local attorneys, is weighing next steps after their brief hospital stay. They want answers about training and decision-making in the minutes leading up to the parking-lot encounter.
Neighbors voiced the emotional toll:
– “We don’t want to worry every time we buy diapers,” one neighbor said outside the store, echoing calls for clearer lines between targeted enforcement and families doing everyday tasks.
– Shopkeepers reported slower weekend traffic.
– Families shared group chats about where they saw Border Patrol vehicles.
The tension sits at the heart of the conflict: a federal operation chasing specific suspects moving through the same spaces where families live and shop.
Broader significance and closing note
The case underscores how immigration enforcement touches U.S. citizens living alongside noncitizen relatives and friends. Rev. DeMateo’s reminder that the family were citizens resonated with residents who say they are often treated as suspects first and neighbors second.
For Veraza, the focus remains on his daughter’s recovery and the fear that returned when he coughed and blinked through the sting. He said he wants accountability and a policy shift that keeps children out of harm’s way, whoever the agents are chasing.
In a neighborhood used to hard times, the weekend’s most painful image is still a child trying to breathe.
This Article in a Nutshell
On November 8, 2025, Rafael Veraza says Border Patrol agents pepper-sprayed him and his one-year-old daughter in a Cicero Sam’s Club parking lot; both received brief hospital care. DHS disputes the claim, asserting no crowd-control spray was used and pointing to alleged gunfire and a damaged Border Patrol vehicle after agents moved from Little Village. The incident, during Operation Midway Blitz, has fueled community demands for bodycam footage, dispatch logs and medical records while legal limits on force remain under appeal.
