Broadview officials said Saturday that their police department was warned by federal agents there would be “a s— show” in the western suburb in response to Mayor Katrina Thompson’s comments that ICE is “making war on my community.”
Their comments came as, for a second day in a row, federal agents launched tear gas and other chemical irritants near protesters gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.
Agents fired pepper balls into a crowd of about 75 protesters Saturday evening and several arrests were made. Steve Held, a Chicago journalist, was one of those arrested. A Sun-Times reporter was struck by rubber projectiles and tear-gassed.
Held is a co-founder of Unraveled Press, which has been working with The TRiiBE — a local digital outlet — and other independent media to bring on-the-ground coverage of protests at Broadview over the last several weeks.
“It was shocking to see, but it was not shocking because they’ve been targeting us for days,” said Raven Geary, a colleague of Held’s who was across the street when he was detained. “They know that they’re being watched, they know that they’re secret police, they know that they’re targeting reporters on purpose.”
About 4:45 p.m., agents released a small amount of tear gas inside the gates of the ICE facility. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the release of the chemical irritant. The drifting smoke drove back the dozen or so protesters outside the facility. A few minutes later, federal agents opened the gates to the facility and came out.
As agents then walked back inside the fenced area, one of them shoved a protester, who lost his balance and fell. The man was handcuffed and taken into the facility.
Several politicians, citing concerns about protester safety, urged the public Saturday to stay away from the ICE facility.
“As elected officials who have attended protests outside of the ICE processing facility in Broadview, we feel an urgency and responsibility to share our extreme concern about escalating language and actions by ICE and DHS toward protesters. We have made the decision to not participate in tonight’s protest. We would highly encourage people to consider the high risk that we believe exists in attending tonight’s action and future actions at Broadview,” read part of a written statement signed by Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, state Sen Robert Peters, D-Chicago, and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th).
Separately, Gov. JB Pritzker said: “Whether it be in Broadview here in Illinois or in Portland, Oregon, the Trump administration is intentionally creating chaos to threaten sending military troops to American cities and suburbs. The suggestion that chemical agents like tear gas or pepper spray could be used indiscriminately against peaceful demonstrators, or even first responders, is unacceptable and not normal.”
Hourslong protests have continued outside the ICE facility at 1930 Beach St. since the Trump administration launched “Operation Midway Blitz,” a campaign to ramp up immigration enforcement across the Chicago area, earlier this month.
On Friday, about 100 peaceful protesters had gathered when ICE officers started firing chemical irritants around 8 a.m. They were targeting demonstrators yelling at passing vehicles on the other side of a heavy-duty fence that ICE erected across the roadway this week. Non-lethal ammunition and tear gas followed.
A protester who was standing on the public side of the gate at the Broadview ICE facility was chased down, pushed to the ground and arrested. ICE agents on Saturday continued their aggressive response to protesters, firing rubber bullets, and deploying tear gas, pepper balls and mace.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Thompson delivered a direct message to Russell Hott, director of ICE’s Chicago field office: “It has to stop.”
But ICE agents responded with their warning “that they will be launching enforcement action throughout all of Broadview throughout the day,” village officials said. “Additionally, ICE informed BPD officials that ICE agents will be again deploying chemical arms, such as tear gas, pepper spray, etc. against American citizens, our residents, and our first responders.”
Village officials urged residents to take precautions to protect themselves and their families.
Agents wearing military fatigues were seen carrying boxes and buckets labeled as hazardous materials into the facility Saturday morning.
Greg Bovino, the chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol El Centro sector, was seen leading several people in handcuffs into the facility Saturday afternoon.
At least five detainees, including a young girl, could be seen being led from a red van. Two men were being patted down by agents in tactical gear.
O’Neill Burke urged to investigate ICE
In downtown Chicago on Saturday afternoon, protesters called on Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to investigate the ICE facility in Broadview and the death of Silverio Villegas González, a Mexican immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent during a traffic stop in Franklin Park earlier this month.
Protesters marching through the Loop on Saturday demanded the closure of the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility and called on Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to investigate the Broadview facility and the death of Mexican immigrant Silverio Villegas González, who was shot and killed by ICE agents during a traffic stop.
Sun-Times staff
Demonstrators also criticized O’Neill Burke’s decision to drop charges against Oak Lawn police Officer Patrick O’Donnell, who was accused of using excessive force during the 2022 arrest of teenager Hadi Abu-Atelah in the south suburb.
The state’s attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Organizers or the downtown gathering urged people to report ICE activity by calling the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Among the protesters was Liza Johnson, 26, who lives in the South Loop. She is training to be a pastor with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
“My faith tells me that standing up for my neighbors who are being disappeared by our government is important and a part of the gospel work,” Johnson said. “I know people who are scared to leave their homes. I can leave my home. So it’s really important that I take a stand in this way.”
Another protester, Andres Avila, 47, said he was concerned about the presence of ICE agents near Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School, where he is a counselor.
“We need to make noise, and we need to let the world know what’s happening and that this is not the country that we were told we lived in,” said Avila, who attended the protest with his wife Silvia and their 14-year-old daughter Maya.
Husam Marajda, one of the organizers, said he hopes that demonstrators will continue to hold ICE accountable.
“We want them to feel empowered,” said Marajda, who cochairs a group called the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and is a member of the United States Palestinian Community Network. “I want people to know that them being out here matters.”