Three children were hospitalized in Minneapolis on Wednesday night after federal agents allegedly fired flash-bang munitions and tear gas into a family van that became caught near protests against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, according to the children’s parents. The incident has drawn renewed attention to the risks posed to civilians as federal agents escalate their response to demonstrations in Minnesota.
Shawn and Destiny Jackson said they were driving with their children when their van was hit with explosions and gas deployed by federal officers. The parents said they were not participating in the protest and had no prior history of involvement in demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Officers threw flash bangs and tear gas in my car. I got six kids in the car,” Shawn Jackson told KMSP. “My 6-month-old can’t even breathe.”
According to the family, the explosions were powerful enough to trigger the vehicle’s airbags, causing the doors to lock while the interior filled with tear gas. Shawn Jackson described the chaos that followed as he tried to rescue his children.
“This was flipped over. My car filled with tear gas; I’m trying to pull my kids from the car,” he told KMSP while holding a child’s car seat.
Destiny Jackson said ICE agents “began to start throwing tear gas bombs everywhere” as the family attempted to leave the area safely.
“We were trying so hard to get out the way but didn’t want to harm anybody with our car in the process,” she said. According to her account, one of the munitions rolled beneath their vehicle. “One of the bombs rolled under our truck, and within seconds our truck lifted up off the ground, and the airbags deployed, the car doors locked themselves, and the car began to fill with the powerful tear gas. We fought hard to get the doors open and get all of the kids out. Bystanders had to help.”
Destiny Jackson said the family’s 6-month-old infant stopped breathing and lost consciousness, forcing her to perform CPR before emergency responders arrived. Three children, the infant and two others aged 7 and 11, were transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
“My kids were innocent, I was innocent, my husband was innocent, this shouldn’t have happened,” Destiny Jackson told KMSP. “We were just trying to go home.”
The parents said neither had ever protested before. Speaking later to Sky News, Shawn Jackson expressed anger over the incident and the response by federal officers.
“I’m mad as hell,” he said. “But now there’s gonna be hell on wheels. They’re definitely gonna have to pay for this.”
Shawn Jackson also accused officers of failing to provide assistance as his children struggled to breathe. “This just shows how they don’t care,” he said. “I was arguing with the officers to call the ambulance for five minutes… He knew there were [children] in the car; he didn’t even try and help.”
The incident involving the Jackson family occurred on the same day that a federal officer shot and wounded a man during a separate enforcement action in Minneapolis. The US Department of Homeland Security said the shooting took place during a “targeted traffic stop” involving a man the agency described as an undocumented Venezuelan. According to DHS, the man fled after exiting his vehicle, a fight ensued when an officer caught him, and the agent fired after two bystanders intervened and attacked the officer. The man was shot in the leg.
Protests have been intensifying across the Twin Cities following the killing last week of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross during a confrontation in Minneapolis. The Trump administration has defended the shooting, while critics have condemned efforts to portray Good as a threat and have accused federal officials of fueling unrest through aggressive enforcement tactics.
Demonstrators have described the federal presence in Minneapolis and other cities as an invasion and occupation, pointing to raids, crowd-control weapons, and the expanding use of tactical units. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that “armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.”
State and local officials have urged the Trump administration to end its operation in Minnesota. Instead, President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act, a law that allows the deployment of active-duty military forces for domestic law enforcement and has not been used since the Los Angeles uprising in 1992.
Legal challenges have followed. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Minnesota, and three law firms filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of people “whose constitutional rights were violated” by federal operatives in the state.
“The people of Minnesota are courageously standing up to the reign of terror unleashed by the Trump administration,” plaintiffs’ attorney Robert Fram said in a statement.
As investigations and lawsuits proceed, the Jackson family’s account has become a stark example cited by critics of the federal crackdown. Their experience has raised urgent questions about the use of flash-bang munitions and tear gas in civilian areas and the potential consequences for children and bystanders caught in the path of federal enforcement operations.
“My kids were innocent, I was innocent, my husband was innocent, this shouldn’t have happened,” Destiny Jackson said.
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