Broadview ICE protest: 15 arrested in demonstrations

BROADVIEW, Ill. - More than a dozen people were arrested as protesters gathered again Friday outside the ICE facility in Broadview, continuing a series of weekly demonstrations that have sometimes resulted in tear gas and rubber bullets.

As of Friday evening, officials said 15 people had been arrested by Illinois State Police during the demonstration, with one of them charged with obstructing/resisting police. At least eight people have charges pending against them, police said.

Broadview ICE protests

What we know:

The protests follow a federal judge’s order earlier this week requiring the removal of a fence that had been erected around the facility’s entrance on Beach Street. The same court also set new parameters on how federal agents may operate in the area.

Demonstrations were scheduled to begin around 9 a.m., and it was unclear whether protesters would attempt to move closer to the facility now that the barrier has been taken down. Illinois State Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office were expected to be on standby during the protest.

Illinois State Police said some protesters blocked a street outside the facility and ignored requests to move to the designated protest area.

Kat Abughazaleh, a protester and congressional candidate, expressed outrage.

"A free speech zone implies that everywhere else is not a free speech zone," she said.

Abughazaleh said she was hit in the face with a baton Friday and saw a woman pushed to the ground by officers.

The renewed attention on the Broadview site comes as federal courts weigh the Trump administration’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago. A federal appeals panel ruled Thursday that the administration cannot send troops to the city, upholding an earlier order blocking the move.

Gov. JB Pritzker, who sued to stop the deployment, called the attempt "unlawful and unconstitutional," saying there is no rebellion or insurrection taking place in Chicago.

Texas National Guard troops were seen outside the Broadview ICE facility late last week but have not returned since. Local officials say they will continue monitoring the situation as Friday’s demonstrations unfold.

Federal immigration agents ordered to wear body cameras

A judge on Thursday ordered federal immigration officers in the Chicago area to wear body cameras and also summoned a senior official to court next week to discuss an enforcement operation that has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said she was a "little startled" after seeing TV images of street confrontations that involved tear gas and other tactics during President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown in the nation’s third-largest city.

"I am adding that all agents who are operating in Operation Midway Blitz are to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on," Ellis said, referring to the government’s name for the crackdown.

She said cameras would provide evidence to back up how agents handle confrontations with protesters.

"Worst of the worst"

Dig deeper:

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security released details on several people described as "the worst of the worst" that are being held inside the Broadview ICE processing center.

DHS officials said those detained in the facility include people convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, felony robbery, drug possession, and more.

The agency says they were arrested as part of "Operation Midway Blitz," a federal enforcement push focused on undocumented immigrants with criminal records.