This is part of our series of daily recaps of ICE activity in the Chicago region. Have a tip we should check out? Email newsroom@blockclubchi.org.
BROADVIEW — Federal agents led by border patrol chief Gregory Bovino attacked protesters Friday morning outside the suburban Broadview ICE facility.
At one point, a Block Club reporter saw an agent put his hands on the neck of a priest while pushing him.
The Rev. Michael Woolf, of Lake Street Church in Evanston, was protesting outside the facility when an agent attacked him while pushing protesters, he said.
“Around 50 to 100 of them basically marched down for a photo op,” Woolf said. “And all of a sudden, now we need to clear out. And then they just started using their gloves and pushing.
“One person grabbed my nipple and twisted, and then they put their hands on my throat. They were not gentle. … I’m completely peaceable. I’m a pastor. I’m committed to nonviolence.”
The violence is the latest assault on people who have been protesting the Trump Administration’s operations Midway Blitz and At Large, which have targeted people in and around Chicago.
Protesters have been gathering outside the facility for weeks, hoping to pressure the government into ending the operations and to stop cars that go into and out of the ICE facility at 1930 Beach St. in Broadview.
Federal agents have repeatedly tear gassed and shot pepper bells and rubber bullets at the protesters — even as Broadview officials have demanded they stop and said the agents are harming local police officers, firefighters, paramedics and neighbors.
On Thursday night, Illinois State Police announced the agency would send first responders to Friday morning’s protest to keep people out of the street near the facility to “support the safety of the public,” according to a news release.
Officers put that into effect early Friday, trying to keep protesters off the street. Demonstrators accused officers of assisting ICE; about 8:45 a.m., when some protesters tried to block federal vehicles’ entrance into the facility, officers hit them with batons and pushed them to the ground. State and local police took several protesters into custody.
“It’s a f—king outrageous escalation by the state of Illinois,” said protester Michael Boyte after a peaceful but tense exchange with an officer. “What [the state] should be doing is getting in the way of these kidnappings. Instead, the state of Illinois has sent the Illinois State Police. This is supposed to be a sanctuary state. JB Pritzker goes on TV every other day talking about how evil Trump is, but the State Police are collaborating with ICE.”
A Lenco BearCat vehicle repeatedly circled protesters Friday morning, while agents in technical gear clung to the military truck’s sides. Federal agents and state troopers were armed with pepper ball guns while some officers from the state’s tactical unit held M-4 rifles.
Shortly afterward, at 9 a.m., Bovino came outside of the facility with a group of federal agents. He yelled at protesters that this would be their one warning — and then he and the agents walked toward protesters, who were not in the street.
Protesters yelled at Bovino and the agents, telling them to quit their jobs. The agents grabbed several protesters and pushed some to the ground. They detained at least two people.
During the incident, drones circled overhead, people with the federal agents recorded video and Benny Johnson, a right-wing social media influencer embedded with federal agents, could be seen nearby filming content for his X account. Johnson later followed Homeland Security Kristi Noem on a tour throughout Chicago all day Friday, including for a raid around 11:40 a.m. outside of a Walmart store at 4650 W. North Ave. in Austin.
Bovino and Border Patrol have been staging photo ops in the city to produce social media videos. It was not clear why Border Patrol would be involved with responding to protesters.
Agents had not used tear gas, rubber bullets or pepper balls on protesters as of about 9:45 a.m., but they were seen putting on gas masks.
At least five people were arrested and charged for incidents stemming from the protest, according to a Cook County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Around 11 a.m., protesters began to trickle out of the area and federal agents dispersed accordingly. State Riot Police arrived about 11:15 a.m., to the confusion of the roughly 20 protesters still ambling about the otherwise anonymous patch of grass in front of the Orkin warehouse at 2000 S. 25th Ave. Officers held their riot shields at a rest position as the stragglers heckled them.
The Trump administration said Operations Midway Blitz and At Large are focused on arresting and removing undocumented immigrants with serious criminal histories — but federal agents have repeatedly detained U.S. citizens, including children, and immigrants with proper status.
One demonstrator who identified himself on Friday as “Tony Montana” wore a traditional indigenous poncho while bellowing “Get off my land! This isn’t your’s! We were here first!” at several federal officers, including one border patrol agent who appeared visibly moved by some of Montana’s appeals to his humanity.
“You look like me,” Montana told the officer. “What if your daughter was kidnapped by these people? What would you do?”
“Well, I’d probably not just be yelling about it at people,” the border patrol agent replied. “I’d get out there and actually do something about it.”
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