U.S. Lawmakers Demand Reforms to Immigration Officers’ Use of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray by Lisa Song and Maya Miller

U.S. Lawmakers Demand Reforms to Immigration Officers’ Use of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray A ProPublica investigation found that scores of children were hurt by these chemicals during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lawmakers say the findings show more restrictions are needed. https://www.propublica.org/article/lawmakers-demand-reforms-tear-gas-children?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=secondary Earlier this month, we reported that at least 79 kids had been harmed by tear gas or pepper spray during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Now, three U.S. senators have called for an overhaul of federal agents’ use of these chemicals. Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, Tammy Duckworth and Richard Blumenthal said ProPublica’s findings showed more restrictions are needed to avoid injuring bystanders — including children — with chemical munitions. We found that the Department of Homeland Security’s policies on the use of these weapons are less restrictive than those of some local police departments, many of which have been forced to adopt stronger standards following lawsuits or local legislation. “This reporting makes clear that we need federal legislation to rein in the over-use and misuse of tear gas and chemical agents,” Booker said in a statement. “We cannot allow another child to be tear-gassed by federal law enforcement officers.” A spokesperson told ProPublica that “DHS does NOT target children” before blaming parents for placing their children in risky situations. In response to ProPublica’s questions about the lawmakers’ calls for reform, a DHS spokesperson said in a written statement that officers are trained to use “the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations” and that the agency is “authorized to do what is appropriate and necessary in each situation to diffuse violence against our officers in the most appropriate manner possible.”