“IT WAS THE PROTESTERS’ FAULT”: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Defends ICE After 6-Month-Old Baby Requires CPR Following Tear Gas Incident in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS — The images coming out of Minneapolis are becoming increasingly difficult to watch, but one particular incident has pierced through the noise of political debate and struck a nerve across the country. A six-month-old infant, caught in a cloud of tear gas deployed by federal agents, reportedly required CPR to be resuscitated.

The harrowing event, which occurred as a local family was simply trying to drive home from a basketball game, was the focal point of a tense and explosive interview on CBS’s Face the Nation. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the face of the federal government’s aggressive new “Operation Metro Surge,” found herself in the hot seat as she was pressed to explain how a routine drive turned into a life-or-death struggle for an innocent baby.

The Nightmare on the Drive Home

The incident involves the Jackson family. According to reports and interviews cited during the broadcast, Destiny Jackson and her family were navigating the streets of Minneapolis after a son’s basketball game. They inadvertently found themselves sandwiched between a line of protesters and a phalanx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Witnesses say the situation escalated rapidly. ICE agents, allegedly attempting to disperse the crowd, deployed chemical irritants. The gas didn’t just hit the protesters; it engulfed the Jackson family’s vehicle.

In the chaos that followed, the family’s six-month-old baby stopped breathing. The mother described a frantic scene where CPR had to be administered to the infant on the side of the road to save the child’s life.

For many observers, this moment crystallizes the fears surrounding the massive federal deployment: that the “precision” promised by officials has been replaced by indiscriminate force, with citizens—and their children—becoming collateral damage.

Noem’s Defense: Blame the Protesters

When confronted with the account of the Jackson family by host Margaret Brennan, Secretary Noem did not offer an apology for the tactics used. Instead, she pivoted immediately to assigning blame to the demonstrators.

“The family was caught up in that situation because of violent protesters that were impeding law enforcement operations,” Noem stated. “That family would have never been in that situation if those protesters had been acting peacefully.”

While she called the situation “terrible” and said she hoped it would “never happen again,” her refusal to concede that ICE agents may have acted recklessly was palpable. Critics, including political commentator Adam Mockler, have slammed this response as “callous” and “insane.”

“She can’t concede that ICE is using disproportionate force,” Mockler noted in his analysis of the interview. “We have on video a six-month-old child needing to be resuscitated… and she blames the protesters.”

The “Pearl Clutching” Double Standard

The interview took a bizarre turn when the conversation shifted to Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good—another flashpoint in the Minneapolis unrest. When the host mentioned the agent’s name, Noem visibly recoiled, admonishing the journalist for “doxing” law enforcement.

“Don’t say his name,” Noem scolded. “We shouldn’t have people continue to dox law enforcement… his life is in jeopardy.”

The contrast was stark. On one hand, the Secretary appeared deeply protective of an armed federal agent involved in a shooting. On the other, her reaction to a tear-gassed infant was to lecture the public on the dangers of protesting. This “pearl clutching,” as critics have dubbed it, highlights a perceived disconnect between the administration’s concern for its own personnel versus the citizens they are sworn to serve.

A War Over Numbers

Beyond the emotional anecdotes, the interview revealed a gaping hole in the government’s justification for the surge. Secretary Noem repeatedly claimed that “70%” of the individuals detained by ICE have committed violent crimes or have criminal charges against them.

“Every single individual has committed a crime,” Noem insisted. “It absolutely is 70%.”

However, this figure was immediately challenged using the DHS’s own internal data. CBS News reported that figures obtained from the department show that nearly 67,000 of the detainees were single adults facing deportation solely for immigration violations. The data indicated that roughly 47%—not 70%—had criminal charges or convictions.

When pressed on this discrepancy, Noem simply replied, “Wrong again,” without providing evidence to support her higher figure. This refusal to acknowledge the data has fueled accusations that the “surge” is less about targeting dangerous criminals and more about hitting daily arrest quotas—allegedly set as high as 3,000 detainees per day by administration hardliners like Stephen Miller.

“Occupying Force”: The Mayor Fights Back

As the rhetoric heats up in Washington, the reality on the ground in Minneapolis is grim. Mayor Jacob Frey, who appeared on the same program, doubled down on his characterization of the federal presence as an “occupying force.”

It is a loaded term, but Frey argued the numbers support it. He described a city where federal agents outnumber local police officers by “five or six to one.”

“When you have 3,000 ICE agents and Border Patrol come to the city… that is very much what it feels like,” Frey said. “If the goal were safety, this is not how you get there.”

Frey’s comments come amidst terrifying reports that President Trump is considering invoking the Insurrection Act, with sources confirming that active-duty soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska have been placed on “prepared to deploy” orders. The prospect of U.S. military troops patrolling American streets has moved from a theoretical threat to a logistical possibility.

A City on Edge

The situation in Minneapolis remains volatile. The “peaceful protest zones” suggested by Noem feel like a fantasy to residents who are watching 79-year-olds get their ribs cracked and US citizens like Aaliyah Rahman get dragged out of their cars on the way to medical appointments.

The disconnect is total. The federal government sees a city in need of “law and order” enforced by chemical agents and mass arrests. The local government and residents see an invasion that is endangering their lives.

And in the middle of it all is a family, just trying to get home from a basketball game, praying their baby takes another breath.

As the tear gas clears, the question remains: Is this the price of safety? Or is it the cost of a political agenda that has lost sight of the people it is supposed to protect?