‘Oh Sh*t!’ CNN Catches Gnarly Scene Featuring Anti-ICE Protesters Coughing Through Smoke Bombs

CNN broadcast a wild scene of anti-ICE protesters wading through smoke bombs live on air on Wednesday, with irate protesters yelling “f*ck you!” at the immigration agents as others were coughing and having water poured in their eyes.

The segment started with anchor Brianna Keilar telling viewers a large group of protesters were gathered in front of an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his dad are being kept.

She then went to senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera, who was reporting live from the scene. Things quickly went sideways from there.

Lavandera reported “tension [was] kind of escalating” as whistles went off and protesters stood face-to-face with federal officers in the background; others could be seen holding signs and one protester waived the Mexican flag.

The CNN broadcast picked up one protester yelling “F*cking cowards!” at the officers as Lavandera tried to talk about the scene.

“Authorities have been telling them for probably the better part of an hour to scoot back,” Lavandera said.

Right then, the sound of several loud thuds could be heard, and the CNN cameras captured a skirmish between one agent and a protester. Another round of a few loud thuds went off — seemingly smoke bombs going off — which sent some protesters scurrying for cover.

“Oh sh*t!” one could be heard yelping.

“That landed on top of a photographer’s camera, and I could see the photographer jump back there,” Lavandera said.

The whistles then grew louder and other protesters could be heard yelling things like “f*ck all of you” and calling the agents “pigs.”

Several protesters were then seen being ushered away while coughing and keeping their heads down.

CNN captured one woman getting saline poured in her eyes while kneeling down, and another young woman in a Mexico jacket who was coughing hard and having another protester help with her eyes. A few other protesters sat on the ground and tried to collect themselves.

Lavandera then started to cough and said “Some of that smoke now starting to get in my throat as well,” before continuing forward with his live report.

His feed abruptly ended a moment later and CNN went back to Keilar in the studio.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!