'Misuse' of crowd control weapons on ICE protesters led to blindings and traumatic brain injuries, report finds

[Jilly_in_VA]

It’s been a brutal tactic deployed by local and federal law enforcement officials time and again over the past year: using teargas, rubber bullets and pepper spray to control protests outside ICE detention centers or during enforcement operations.

Now, a new report lays bare the scale of the use of these crowd control weapons during anti-immigration demonstrations across the US, including hundreds of incidents that resulted in lasting and traumatic injuries.

The report and an interactive map was created by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley (HRC) and released this week. Doctors and human rights experts with PHR and HRC documented 412 verified incidents of the “misuse” of these crowd control weapons, also known as “less-lethal weapons”, from June 2025 through May 2026.

“This is a concerning story,” said Dr Rohini Haar, the lead author of the report and a PHR medical expert, in an interview with the Guardian.

The report documented 203 injuries stemming from the alleged misuse of the crowd control weapons. Some of the injuries included blindings, traumatic brain injuries, lacerations, fractures and contusions.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/misuse-crowd-control-weapons-ice-protesters-blindings-traumatic-brain-injuries-report

This is The Guardian's lead story right now. Of course the administration will deny and denouce the report as "leftist" etc,

[Lovie777]

1. People vs. ICE, DHS, DOJ, shithole.................

sue the shit out of them and make sure the monies do not come from the taxpayers but from the individuals that has and will continue to do warm against the "We the People".

[kentuck]

2. Not the actions of a free country.

A disgrace.

[Lonestarblue]

3. Protesters were peaceably assembled until ICE goons attacked them.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

We need immigration enforcement, not the current domestic terrorists of ICE and CBP. The whole DHS needs an overhaul. It's far too easy for a corrupt president to turn it into a police force to use against people.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. There never was a more poorly trained group of ostensible "law enforcement" personnel.

Most are little more than thugs, and that's what Trmp and Miller want. Bullies with badges. Their aim is to instill fear*, and displaying incompetence in abundance actually helps in that regard.





*Pretty much the definition of terrorism, which is, again, what Trmp and Miller want.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. lol "misuse." Also it's not just ICE and it's not just in the past year. This is policing in America.

[yardwork]

7. And a significant number of US voters want this.

They're cheering it on. Their reaction is "kill them all."

That's why Trump is president. Again.

We have met the enemy and he is us.

[BlueTsunami2018]

6. "Misuse." Right.

They’re using them exactly as they intend. This is what fascists do. This is how a police state operates.

The People have been asleep at the wheel for far too long.