November 19, 2025
Today, we published an investigation into federal agents’ use of chemical weapons, documenting 49 uses of chemical weapons across 18 incidents since early October. Our reporting found that most of the chemical deployments targeted peaceful protesters and that federal agents regularly used tear gas and pepper spray to escalate encounters with Chicagoans exercising their First Amendment Rights.
The reporting was a partnership with newsrooms across Chicago, with six outlets contributing to the reporting and nine helping collect tips as part of a shared tipline meant to track use of force by federal agents and create a shared public record of federal actions in Chicago. You can read the story in Block Club Chicago, South Side Weekly, The Triibe, Investigative Project on Race and Equity Project, Borderless, Cicero Independiente, and the Chicago Reader.
Our reporting found that the widespread use of tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods has no precedent in recent memory. Chicago Police have not used any chemical weapons on protesters in five years. Meanwhile, federal agents used tear gas and pepper spray at least 15 times responding to a single protest in Brighton Park on October 4th. Agents fired pepper balls at peaceful crowds, threw tear gas canisters at small groups of demonstrators, and tossed gas from moving vehicles as they drove out of the neighborhood.
Agents have operated under a temporary restraining order limiting their use of riot control weapons since October 9. On November 6, U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis issued a temporary injunction forbidding federal agents from using riot control weapons, including tear gas, unless it’s necessary to stop someone from physically harming another person. The order is part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Block Club Chicago and other media organizations, seeking to protect the First Amendment rights of journalists and peaceful protesters.
Since then, federal agents have used chemical weapons at least four times, including two cases where agents appeared to fire pepper spray out of a moving vehicle directly into another moving car, possibly violating both the injunction and Border Patrol rules restricting chemical weapon uses on motorists.
As we continue to collaboratively document and report, we encourage you to spread the word about how to submit video evidence to our shared tipline: email chicagojournalists@protonmail.com or visit tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists