Federal law enforcement agents deployed tear gas and pepper balls to disperse around 100 protesters, including two Democratic congressional candidates, outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Friday. The demonstrators had attempted to block government SUVs from entering or leaving the site, which serves as a hub for immigration enforcement operations.
At least three protesters were arrested during the clashes, which saw masked Homeland Security agents in riot gear fire pepper balls from a rooftop and launch multiple tear gas canisters. One agent was seen with an unholstered firearm. The facility is surrounded by razor wire and boarded-up windows.
Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive candidate for Illinois's ninth congressional district, was shoved to the ground by a masked agent before tear gas was deployed. She described the episodes as a 'violent abuse of power' on social media, adding that it was 'nothing compared to what they're doing to immigrant communities.' The Department of Homeland Security reposted video of the incident on X, stating that individuals impeding Ice operations are 'siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals.'
Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who attended the protest earlier but left before tear gas was used, condemned the response. 'The fact that DHS responded with tear gas and by throwing protesters on the pavement tells you everything you need to know – this isn't about safety. This is about fear, control, and the Trump administration's attempt to intimidate Illinoisans into silence,' she said in a statement.
The protest occurred amid a surge in Ice raids in Chicago as part of 'Operation Midway Blitz,' which has led to nearly 550 arrests, according to DHS statistics. Marcos Charles, acting head of Ice's enforcement and removal operations, told the Associated Press that the operation would continue 'until we feel that we've been successful,' with no end date in sight.
