Seventy-Nine Children, in the Path of the Crackdown
ProPublica has identified seventy-nine children harmed by tear gas or pepper spray during immigration enforcement operations. DHS has defended the use of chemical agents, blaming 'agitators' and parents.
The children identified range in age from infants to teenagers. The injuries documented include chemical burns, respiratory distress and, in several cases, hospitalisation.
DHS has not contested the underlying numbers. It has contested the framing — characterising the chemical agents as a proportionate response to crowd behaviour, and assigning responsibility for child exposure to adults present at the scenes.
Pediatric advocacy organisations interviewed for the investigation reject that framing. So do the medical professionals who treated the children.
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