ICE protesters clash with federal agents outside suburban Chicago facility

BROADVIEW, Ill. - Federal agents shot pepper ball guns and deployed tear gas on a crowd of protesters gathered outside the Broadview ICE processing center Friday. 

Hours later, around 4 p.m., a woman was arrested after clashing with the agents. She was part of a small group of protesters who approached a fence and began shouting. Agents fired pepper balls, then emerged from behind the fence and brought the woman to the ground.

Protesters returned to the facility throughout the day, vowing to maintain pressure on federal immigration officials following previous tense confrontations.

What we know:

Demonstrators gathered outside the facility at 1930 Beach St. beginning around 7 a.m. and remaining there until dark. The crowd fluctuated in size throughout the day, with tensions mounting between protesters and ICE agents working at the facility. 

The site has long been a focal point for activists opposing ICE operations in the Chicago area.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the facility for the third straight Friday, trying to block vehicles from entering or exiting. 

Kat Abughazaleh, a candidate for Congress in the 9th district, was captured on video being thrown to the ground by federal agents. She said she was bruised but not hurt.

Several protesters were taken into custody outside the facility during the confrontation for trying to stop transport vans from moving detainees captured by ICE. The National Lawyers Guild of Chicago reported that 10 people were arrested on Friday, and at least three of them were released with citations. 

One woman was arrested on Friday afternoon when she scuffled with ICE agents and attempted to pull the mask from one of their faces. An agent put her in what appeared to be a headlock, then she flashed a peace sign at cameras before being handcuffed. 

Aerials from Sky Fox showed the view behind the gate, where detainees were cuffed and on their knees, waiting to be taken to holding facilities.

As agents prepared to move more vehicles, agents on the roof fired pepper balls toward the crowd gathered in front of the gate. In the morning and once at night, federal agents released tear gas cannisters.

Several protesters were seen gagging, coughing and vomiting. They shared water and poured it over their faces.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) was right up front when it happened.

"We were kind of on the front line of it as a vehicle was coming, and so we were looking to block the vehicle. It still kept driving, almost ran over someone and at that point, we started seeing the pellets. So it was tear gas, it was pepper spray, a little mix of both. So you could feel it even under the mask and start coughing and spitting out to get everything," Vasquez said. 

Vasquez was wearing a mask at the time. 

"Even through the mask, you can feel it, like right now you can still feel a little burning in the eyes, the back of the neck, just because of the chemicals themselves. I was able to walk, cler my head a little bit and grab water, one to take care of myself but then make sure other people were okay," Vasquez said.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton was one of several local officials present at the protest. She said the crowd would not disperse while they are exercising their First Amendment rights.

"They want us to be afraid. They want us to step back and kind of go into our little corners and not do anything so that this president can make a military presence on American soil normalized. We're not going to let that happen," Stratton said.

What they're saying:

A week ago, protesters said they were met by more than a dozen ICE agents wearing military clothing and carrying guns, and that agents twice fired "chemical weapons" into the crowd.

"ICE doesn’t make me or my community safer," demonstrator Britt Hodgdon said in a statement. "If exercising my right to free speech gets me tear gassed, then I’m not safe. If my neighbors go missing into a deportation system where their families can’t find out where they’ve been taken, then my neighborhood is not safe."

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson recently announced federal officials plan to use the facility as the "primary processing location" for people detained in the Chicago area by ICE this fall.

Last week, protesters blocked a vehicle they believed was being driven by an ICE agent as it attempted to enter the facility. Activists said they remain determined to continue their demonstrations. 

"I’d rather see a dozen ICE agents here at the office standing off against peaceful protestors than out on the streets terrorizing my neighbors," social worker Quinn Pennington said. "If coming out means I can keep my community even a little bit safer, I’m going to keep showing up."

Dig deeper:

ICE has been ramping up its mass deportation efforts since President Donald Trump took office in January, including in large cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed interest in cracking down on crime in Chicago after a multi-agency surge in D.C. has led to a reported decrease in crime and hundreds of immigration-related arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security is currently leading two efforts in the Chicago area to crack down on undocumented immigrants: Operation Midway Blitz and Operation At Large.