‘Less lethal’ crowd-control weapons still cause harm – 2 physicians explain what they are and their health effects

Federal immigration agents tend to receive less training on how to properly deploy crowd-control weapons, research finds.

By: Michele Heisler, University of Michigan and Rohini J. Haar, University of California, Berkeley, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 4, 2026

Words: 1,483

Last Updated: 1 week, 6 days ago

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Images and videos from Minneapolis, Chicago and other U.S. cities show masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents in military-style gear pointing weapons at people protesting or observing immigration enforcement actions. These are not typical firearms; they are riot control agents, and they emit cascades of projectiles or plumes of smoke.

In other scenes unfolding in cities across the country, officers launch metal canisters that explode loudly and scatter blinding flashes …

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