In Chicago, ICE is going into residential neighborhoods and causing chaos by dropping tear gas. Judge Sara Ellis had previously barred agents from using tear gas on journalists, protesters, or anyone not posing an immediate threat. The random gassing of city neighborhoods clearly violates this order.
When federal agents unleash tear gas in quiet Chicago neighborhoods, recently including Lakeview, the Southeast Side, and even near elementary schools, they’re not just engaging in criminal acts; they’re committing an assault on public health.
Tear gas (CS gas) is banned in warfare under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Yet it’s deployed on American soil, in residential blocks, near schools, and inside homes. The compound irritates mucous membranes, inflames lungs, and lingers on surfaces long after the smoke clears.
For seniors with COPD: A Death Sentence in a Cloud
For older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tear gas isn’t just painful—it’s potentially lethal. The gas can trigger bronchospasms, reduce oxygen intake, and precipitate acute respiratory failure. In neighborhoods where retirees live in walk-ups without central air, there’s no escape.
For children with Asthma, there’s trauma in every breath
Children exposed to tear gas face compounded risks, including asthma attacks that can escalate into emergency situations. Then there’s the psychological trauma from sudden exposure, especially when gas infiltrates classrooms or playgrounds.
At Funston Elementary, tear gas from a nearby ICE raid drifted into classrooms. Children panicked. Some vomited. Teachers reported lingering symptoms days later.
Tear gas residue clings to furniture, toys, and HVAC systems. It turns homes into toxic zones. Families often must evacuate, clean extensively, or risk prolonged exposure. For low-income households, cleanup is unaffordable. The gas becomes a class weapon.
Weekend Quotables
Zohran Mamdani at campaign rally in Queens
Again and again, we were told that if we had any hope of beating the Republican Party, it would only be by becoming the Republican Party. — Jacobin
Administration official on ICE recruitment efforts
“It’s a shit show.” — CNN.
High school senior Elyani Martinez
“Everywhere I look around my neighborhood, it’s like a ghost town,” the 17-year-old student at Lincoln Park High School said. “Nobody is here, and our businesses are failing. Our people are being kidnapped.” — Sun-Times
Amy Dru Stanley, University of Chicago historian
“Criminal justice in a democracy is meant to be blind — not masked.” — WBEZ
Ofelia Torres, whose father was abducted by ICE, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in December.
“I know I should be calm, because cancer feeds from those things,” Ofelia Torres told her mom. “I have to be calm so the cells don’t reproduce. But this is so hard. My heart is aching — physically, I feel it aching — and I know my cancer may be spreading faster because of this, but I’m trying to be strong.” — Block Club Chicago
