Minneapolis Family With Six Children Tear Gassed After Being Caught Between ICE and Protesters

A Minneapolis family of eight says they were unintentionally caught in a clash between protesters and federal immigration agents, leading to a terrifying ordeal in which tear gas filled their car and a mother was forced to perform CPR on her infant.

Destiny Jackson, 26, told CNN her family was driving home from their son’s basketball game Wednesday night when traffic slowed due to protesters and parked cars. Unaware a protest was underway, the family pulled over and soon found themselves surrounded by demonstrators and federal agents amid heightened tensions in the city.

Those tensions have been escalating since an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, earlier this month. In response, thousands of federal agents were deployed to the Twin Cities, prompting ongoing demonstrations.

Jackson said she and her husband realized they were trapped as agents approached their vehicle from both sides. Moments later, flash bangs and a tear gas canister landed near the car, triggering airbags and filling the vehicle with gas while the doors automatically locked.

Inside the car were Jackson, her husband, and their six children, ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years old. Struggling to breathe and unable to see, Jackson said she fought her way to the back seat to unlock the doors and get her children out as bystanders rushed to help.

The infant was the last to be removed from the car. Jackson said her baby was not breathing when he was brought to her inside a nearby home. She administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until he began breathing again. Other bystanders helped flush tear gas from the children’s eyes.

The family was later taken to the hospital, where the baby and two children with severe asthma were treated. The city of Minneapolis confirmed the infant experienced breathing difficulties but was stabilized after emergency responders arrived.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the family was “caught in the middle” of the situation. The Department of Homeland Security said agents followed crowd-control protocols and did not target the family, adding they were responding to violent actions from some agitators.

A federal judge has since placed new restrictions on immigration agents, limiting the use of certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters during ongoing operations in Minnesota.

Jackson says the incident has left her traumatized, triggering panic attacks and leaving her family without a usable vehicle. Despite the fear, she expressed gratitude for the strangers who helped save her children, noting the family took refuge in a home they had once considered buying.

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