A Chicago pastor says he was praying when ICE agents fired a pepper ball at his head during a protest outside a federal detention facility.
Reverend David Black, senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, said the incident left him disabled and shaken.
The confrontation happened last month outside the Broadview ICE facility.
Black, wearing his clerical collar, was standing among demonstrators when agents reportedly struck him with multiple pepper balls and sprayed him with chemical irritants.
Video of the moment has gone viral.
“They shot me in my head and my face and multiple times in my torso, arms and legs,” Black said.
Fellow protesters rushed to shield him as he collapsed to the ground. He was guided to a street medic who helped wash out his eyes and provide care.
Black alleged that ICE agents fired without warning.
He also said he could hear agents laughing as they fired from the roof, per the Daily Mail.
“We got to witness a few things about these ICE agents operating in Broadview, and really it has shown us how disorganized they are and how poorly supervised and trained they are,” he said.
Black emphasized he had been praying moments before the attack, offering prayers for both detained immigrants and ICE officers.
“I was standing to the side in a gesture of prayer and praying verbally for the ICE officers and those detained inside,” he said.
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, disputed Black’s account.
She said demonstrators blocked ICE vehicles and threw rocks, bottles, and fireworks at officers on the roof.
Black called her claims “categorically false,” insisting the protest was peaceful and participants were chanting, singing, and speaking without aggression before the pepper balls were fired.
Black said he finds the government’s claims bizarre. He jokingly referenced McLaughlin’s allegation that he “flipped the bird,” suggesting that his prayer gestures could be misinterpreted.
In the wake of the incident, Black joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration along with journalists and other protesters.
The complaint alleges a “pattern of extreme brutality” intended to silence civilians and the press. The filing cites use of tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets against peaceful demonstrators.
The lawsuit states that no legitimate threat existed to officers or government property.
“The officers are not physically threatened. No government property is threatened. Defendants are acting to intimidate and silence the press and civilians engaged in protected First Amendment activities,” it reads.
The legal action also claims the government violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that ICE’s actions substantially burdened clergy members’ ability to exercise their faith.
Black said he remains committed to protesting.
“I am grateful to show up with these protesters—people who deeply believe in democracy and are bringing peaceful and moral witness against what the Trump administration is trying to do in Chicago,” he said.
