Federal agents have repeatedly detained or used force against people who seem to be protesting peacefully, videos show

A federal immigration enforcement agent sprays Rev. David Black of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, as Black and other protesters demonstrate outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, on September 19, 2025. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times/AP/File

Federal agents deployed during the Trump administration’s law enforcement surge in American cities have shot two Christian clergy members in the head with chemicals or projectiles. One was meditating while holding a sign, and the other had his arms outstretched in prayer. The administration says both were among groups of protesters impeding law enforcement.

Other protesters have been shoved to the ground by immigration or border agents, been chased after taunting them, or had their phones sn