ICE Reportedly Tear Gassed 6 Children Sitting in a Car, all of Which Hospitalized Soon After

Shawn and Destiny Jackson were reportedly trapped inside their car in Twin Cities, Minnesota, when a tear gas canister exploded underneath them during an ICE-related altercation.

Child escaping the scene

Their 11-, 7-, and 4-year-old twins, along with a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old baby, were on their way home from basketball practice when they were caught in the middle of ICE agents and a protest.

They allegedly stopped their car, yelling at them and demanding that they leave the car, using profanity. Despite Shawn screaming back at them, telling them that they were trying, agents walked to the back of the car and threw the canister of tear gas. Within seconds, their car was flung into the air, all of the airbags were deployed, and the doors all locked, essentially turning the car full of children into a gas chamber.

Shawn Jackson was standing near the vehicle he was in before the tear gas attack.

Despite bystanders jumping in to evacuate the family, the last child they got to was the 6-month-old baby. who was lying lifeless, with foam coming out of his mouth. They gave the baby CPR, and he is now doing much better.

According to the parents, their children are understandably traumatized and unable to sleep, but a GoFundMe has been set up to help them with their medical bills and care replacement.

You can donate to their fund HERE.

When DHS was asked about this, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaighlin said in a statement that:

“DHS law enforcement NEVER targeted this family or their innocent children,” adding, “Law enforcement followed their training and reasonably deployed crowd control measures.”

McLaughlin called the family “the victim of rioters and agitators.”

Shawn and Destiny Jackson’s account illustrates the very real human cost of aggressive enforcement actions, especially when they occur in residential neighborhoods and intersect with peaceful protest.

While the Department of Homeland Security maintains that its agents were not targeting the family and were acting in line with training, critics argue this episode reflects a broader pattern of heavy-handed tactics under Operation Metro Surge and raises serious questions about the use of force in civilian spaces.

As the Jackson family continues to recover physically and emotionally, their story has drawn national attention, righteous scrutiny over federal policing policy, and the protections owed to innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.