Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
All that gas you keep seeing agents use against protesters? Yeah, it's quite dangerous.
On January 31, federal agents fired tear gas into a crowd of civilians, clergy, and children gathered outside the ICE building in Portland, Oregon. Witnesses say, and video shows, that the demonstration was largely peaceful before the gas was deployed. In the weeks since, a federal judge moved to restrict the use of these chemical munitions at the site following reports that agents used them against demonstrators who posed no imminent threat.
Under the second Trump administration, displays of force against protesters have become increasingly common. So it's important to know which chemicals are being deployed against those exercising their First Amendment rights—because they're not benign.
Tear gas, the most widely deployed crowd-control weapon, can cause more harm than temporary irritation. Beyond burning eyes and skin, it has been linked to corneal ulcers and menstrual cycle disruptions, with some reports suggesting possible associations with miscarriage.
But tear gas is just one type of chemical used by federal agents for crowd control.
Independent journalist Kevin Foster tracked down at least two spent canisters of HC smoke, which, as he explains in his latest video for us, could have even more troubling effects on protesters and agents than tear gas.
All that gas you keep seeing agents use against protesters? Yeah, it's quite dangerous.
On January 31, federal agents fired tear gas into a crowd of civilians, clergy, and children gathered outside the ICE building in Portland, Oregon. Witnesses say, and video shows, that the demonstration was largely peaceful before the gas was deployed. In the weeks since, a federal judge moved to restrict the use of these chemical munitions at the site following reports that agents used them against demonstrators who posed no imminent threat.
Under the second Trump administration, displays of force against protesters have become increasingly common. So it's important to know which chemicals are being deployed against those exercising their First Amendment rights—because they're not benign.
Tear gas, the most widely deployed crowd-control weapon, can cause more harm than temporary irritation. Beyond burning eyes and skin, it has been linked to corneal ulcers and menstrual cycle disruptions, with some reports suggesting possible associations with miscarriage.
But tear gas is just one type of chemical used by federal agents for crowd control.
Independent journalist Kevin Foster tracked down at least two spent canisters of HC smoke, which, as he explains in his latest video for us, could have even more troubling effects on protesters and agents than tear gas.
