21 Arrested, 4 Officers Injured in Clash Outside Broadview ICE Facility Near Chicago

Clash Outside Broadview ICE Facility Leaves 21 Arrested, Four Officers Hurt

CHICAGO — Authorities arrested 21 protesters Friday and reported that four law-enforcement officers were injured outside a federal immigration facility in Broadview, Illinois, that activists describe as a de facto detention center with allegedly inhumane conditions.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office said most of those taken into custody face charges of obstruction, disorderly conduct and walking on a highway; one person was charged with mob action. The detainees ranged in age from 23 to 67.

Officials said the officers were injured while attempting to steer demonstrators off a roadway and behind a safety barrier. Two Broadview police officers and one Cook County Sheriff's Police officer were taken to a hospital. The Sheriff's Police officer sustained a lower-leg injury and was treated and released. Broadview police said the officers' injuries were not life-threatening. An Illinois state trooper received treatment at the scene.

“Minutes before the confrontation, demonstrators were singing and chanting,” organizers said.

Around 10 a.m., a large group—apparently expecting arrests—crossed a protest barrier and attempted to walk toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Some protesters carried signs reading “God's Love Knows No Borders” and “God Demands Freedom.”

The Broadview facility has been the site of frequent Friday demonstrations against a federal immigration enforcement campaign officials call Operation Midway Blitz. Authorities say the operation has resulted in more than 3,200 arrests across the Chicago metropolitan area since September of people suspected of violating immigration laws.

Critics contend that aggressive tactics used by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE have prompted legal challenges and renewed street protests. The clash Friday underscores ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement efforts and activists pressing for detainee rights and oversight.