Protests at a Chicago-area Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility turned violent on Friday, resulting in 21 arrests and four officers injured. The clashes occurred as demonstrators protested against the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Videos showed hundreds of protesters and police in riot gear, with officers pinning individuals to the ground. The Cook County Sheriff's Office reported that the confrontations began when a section of the crowd left a designated protest zone and marched on a restricted roadway.
Jillian Westerfield, associate minister at Lake Street Church in Evanston, attended to minister to detainees. She described being pushed down and suffering bruises. Most of those arrested face charges of obstruction, disorderly conduct, or walking on a highway.
Two Broadview police officers and a county deputy were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries; the deputy has since been released. An Illinois State Trooper was treated at the scene. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson called the injuries “unacceptable and outrageous,” urging protesters to “raise their voices, not their fists.”
The Department of Homeland Security mocked the protesters on social media, calling them “violent rioters” and “imbecilic morons.” The Trump administration has faced criticism for aggressive tactics and unsanitary conditions at the facility.
