Civil Rights Veteran Charles Mauldin Reflects on Tear Gas Use in 1965 Selma and 2026 Immigration Enforcement

Charles Mauldin was near the front of the line to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965—a day that became known as “Bloody Sunday” after police brutally beat demonstrators.

Mauldin, then 17, joined hundreds of others in a march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights for Black Americans. He stood two rows behind civil rights icon John Lewis, who later became a U.S. representative. Law enforcement officers waited on the other side of the bridge, ordering the group to disperse. After about a minute and a half, police attacked with billy clubs and launched tear gas into the crowd, which included teenagers like Mauldin.

“We didn’t know what to expect. I was fearful. We had to put ourselves in a place beyond fear.”

Now 78, Mauldin watches the news and sees videos of children being tear-gassed—not by local police in 1965, but by federal immigration officers in 2026.

“Having people like ICE treat people the way we were treated 61 years ago, it’s horrible. It’s traumatizing for young kids, and I’m just starting to realize how traumatizing it is for me.”

Mauldin holds a photograph of the 1965 march. He is in the third row, center, looking at the camera, while John Lewis appears in the first row, right. Police advance on demonstrators, with Mauldin second from the right.

We reached out to Mauldin after our investigation found at least 79 children have been physically harmed by tear gas and pepper spray during President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. The children include:

• A 6-month-old baby who briefly stopped breathing;
• A 12-year-old boy who developed hives;
• A 17-year-old who suffered a severe asthma attack.

Most were exposed while going about their daily routines: the 6-month-old in his family’s car when a tear gas canister rolled underneath, and the 12- and 17-year-olds in their homes. There is no national standard governing tear gas and pepper spray use, giving federal immigration officers more leeway than some local police departments.