At a Glance
- Destiny Jackson, 26, says ICE agents tear-gassed her minivan while she and her six children were stuck in Minneapolis traffic on Jan. 14
- The explosion deployed airbags, locked the doors and filled the cabin with black smoke, forcing Jackson to perform mouth-to-mouth on her 6-month-old son
- City officials confirmed the infant suffered breathing difficulties; DHS claims agents “reasonably deployed crowd control measures” and were not targeting the family
- Why it matters: The incident raises fresh questions about federal crowd-control tactics after the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good one week earlier
A Minneapolis mother says she resuscitated her baby on a snow-covered sidewalk after federal ICE agents hurled tear-gas canisters under her minivan, turning a routine drive home from a youth basketball game into a life-or-death scramble for her six children.
Destiny Jackson, 26, told CNN the chaos erupted around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, as she and her husband drove into an unplanned protest blocking their usual route. Protesters and parked cars boxed the family in before agents arrived from both directions.
How the Family Got Trapped
Jackson said she first realized trouble was brewing when someone outside shouted, “It’s about to go down!” Within seconds, agents surrounded the vehicle. Her husband tried to reverse but spotted ICE officers behind them. Citing the recent police shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, the couple decided staying put was safer than risking accidental contact.
An agent then screamed through her window: “Get the F out of here.” Jackson’s husband replied, “We’re trying,” but the lane remained jammed.
Tear Gas Canister Explodes Under Car
Jackson recalled hearing a metallic clatter. A canister rolled beneath the chassis and detonated. The blast inflated the airbags, tripped the automatic door locks and pumped acrid black smoke through the vents.
- Ages of the children inside: 11, 9, 7, 5, 3 and 6 months
- Safety systems triggered: airbags, door locks, interior lights
- Result: family trapped inside a smoke-filled cabin
“I was feeling around, like I was hitting my son’s window, and I worked my way to his lock,” Jackson said. She manually disengaged the child-safety latch, crawled over two younger siblings and popped the rear door. Her husband forced open the driver-side exit, and together they began passing kids to a stranger who guided them toward a nearby house.
Desperate CPR on the Sidewalk
Once outside, Jackson realized her 6-month-old was limp. While her older kids poured milk into one another’s eyes to rinse away the chemical residue, she cleared the baby’s airway and started rescue breaths.
“In the midst of like doing mouth-to-mouth, I stopped and I looked at my baby and I was just like ‘Wake up, you have to,'” she said. “I just felt like I’m gonna give you every breath I have.”
The infant resumed breathing. Paramedics arrived, confirmed stable vital signs and transported the whole family to a local hospital for observation.
Official Response
The City of Minneapolis verified to CNN that “tear gas used on the crowd … caused a 6-month-old child inside a vehicle to experience breathing difficulties.” A statement noted the baby was “breathing and stable, but serious.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told News Of Los Angeles that agents on scene “followed their training and reasonably deployed crowd-control measures” and stressed the family “was not targeted.”
Neither Minneapolis Police nor City Hall returned separate requests for comment from News Of Los Angeles.
Broader Context
The incident occurred one week after Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent executing an arrest warrant. Good’s death ignited nightly demonstrations, including the Jan. 14 protest where Jackson’s vehicle became stuck.
Jackson believes agents acted with impunity. “We’ve seen what happened to Renee,” she said, explaining why her husband chose not to move the car once officers flanked them.
Key Takeaways
- A 6-month-old required CPR after exposure to tear gas deployed during an ICE protest
- The family’s minivan was immobilized by the explosion, locking six children inside
- City officials confirm the baby’s breathing difficulties; federal officials defend the crowd-control tactics
- The episode amplifies scrutiny of ICE operations in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good days earlier
