VIDEO: ICE Director Seen Using Toxic Military Smoke Near Children
Hexachloroethane smoke was phased out by the U.S. Army — but used on civilians
Video from Minneapolis today appears to show U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Greg Bovino throwing a hexachloroethane (HC) smoke grenade near civilians. The incident occurred close to a playground. Sources on the ground say children were present.
Hexachloroethane is not just “smoke.”
When an HC grenade ignites, it produces zinc chloride gas — a highly toxic, corrosive compound. This is not a crowd-control irritant in the usual sense. It is a chemical byproduct of a military smoke formulation.
The U.S. Army began phasing out HC smoke in the 1990s and early 2000s after concluding it posed serious risks to soldiers. A 1994 Army report warned that exposure to high concentrations for even a few minutes could result in “injuries and fatalities.”
The health risks are well documented. Zinc chloride inhalation can cause severe pulmonary edema — fluid filling the lungs — permanent respiratory damage, and liver and kidney injury. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies hexachloroethane as a Group C “possible human carcinogen.”
HC smoke was originally designed for battlefield concealment — creating dense smoke screens to hide troop movements — not for dispersing people. Once deployed, the smoke is nearly impossible to avoid. It lingers, spreads unpredictably, and can penetrate buildings. Because of that, its use on civilian crowds is often described by civil-rights attorneys as excessive force.
So is it legal to use on U.S. citizens?
This is where things get uncomfortable.
Under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, the use of riot control agents — including tear gas and HC smoke — is strictly banned as a method of warfare. But the treaty includes a carve-out allowing their use for “domestic law enforcement purposes.” The United States is a signatory, which means federal and local authorities are legally permitted to use chemical agents on civilians that are prohibited for use against enemy soldiers.
As of 2026, there is no federal ban on hexachloroethane smoke in domestic policing. Whether its use is lawful in a specific case usually comes down to department policy and whether a court later finds the deployment “reasonable.” In many large U.S. cities, public pressure and the threat of lawsuits have pushed departments to abandon HC in favor of alternatives like CS gas or OC spray — both controversial, but generally considered less toxic.
That distinction matters.
Because it means something judged too dangerous for American soldiers can still be used on American neighborhoods.