Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated on Friday that the federal government is seeking to acquire additional property in west suburban Broadview to expand its immigration enforcement efforts in the Chicago area.
Noem, appearing at the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at 1930 Beach St. in the west suburb, also met with U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and other federal agents at the site to tell them that, despite large-scale protests, the people of Chicago “are grateful you are here.”
“You’re setting an example for the rest of the country. Everybody is watching how strong you are here, the operations and the professionalism in which you’re conducting this law enforcement and restoring some safety back to the city, and it’s rippling across the country,” Noem told Bovino and the federal agents, based on social media posts from a right-wing influencer who was granted access to be embedded with ICE.
“It may seem like right here, when you’re in the middle of this chaos, that you’re not necessarily sure of it, but boy, the American people are just thrilled to have you and to have you on the job and on the task of restoring and making America safe again,” she said.
Noem’s comments were recorded by Benny Johnson, a conservative influencer who said he was embedded with immigration agents on Friday — something that has become a pattern with federal enforcement in relying on politically supportive media during its actions in the Chicago area.
A person is detained as dozens of protesters face off with federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Noem herself did not make any comments to members of the Chicago media. Instead, pictures of her were recorded from afar, including while she stood on the roof of the Broadview ICE facility, surrounded by heavily armed agents while observing protests on the ground below.
Speaking earlier with Bovino and federal agents, Noem was recorded saying, “We’re going to try to buy that building today” as she pointed at a nearby structure.
“So, give you more space. Let you spread out and tell everybody and send a message: We’re not just here, we’re here to stay, and we’re expanding and we’re going to make this city safe again,” Noem said.
“So today, when we leave here, we’re going to go hard,” she told agents as they prepared to leave the Broadview facility for enforcement activities.
“We’re going to hammer these guys that are advocating for violence against the American people. What they are doing is advocating to harm not just you and your colleagues, but your families. And they’re doxing your identities and victimizing people every day by the way that they’re talking, speaking, who they’re affiliated with, who they’re funded with, and what they’re talking about as far as consequences for what we’re doing by protecting this country,” she said.
Protesters confront federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
“So we’re going to go out there and we’re going to make sure that there’s consequences for the way that they’re behaving and that we’re going to prosecute them. We’re going to bring them to justice. We’re not taking this anymore,” she said. “The president’s sick of it. I’m sick of it. And we’re going to give you guys all the authority that you need to go out there and arrest these individuals who are advocating for violence against you.”
Johnson’s video also showed Noem and some federal agents being denied entry into Broadview’s municipal building, contending that ICE agents wanted to use the restroom. A man standing behind the municipal building’s front glass door denied Noem and others access inside.
“Now that’s what (Illinois) Gov. (JB) Pritzker says is cooperation and keeping people safe,” she told the right-wing embed as she walked away. “We were coming out to do some operations, to pick up some guys with criminal convictions and the city police wouldn’t even let us use the restroom.”
“As much as these local leaders and governors talk about cooperating and having the backs of our law enforcement officers, this is what we have to put up with every single day,” Noem said.