Share and Follow
() Protesters are expected to gather again Friday at an ICE processing center in Illinois, where tensions have continued to escalate between activists and federal immigration agents.
The facility, located in the small Chicago suburb of Broadview, faces allegations of inhumane practices and operating as a de facto detention center.
Protesters have repeatedly clashed with authorities at the center during the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement in Illinois, which has led to the arrests of more than 400 people since its early September inception.
Protester Daniel Shouse told local affiliate WGN that a car carrying three federal immigration officers drove over a curb to hit him on Wednesday.
“There’s no accountability. The officers came up to me at the hospital and asked if I’d be able to point the person out in a lineup,” Shouse said. ” How can I do that when they all wear masks? They have no name tags. They have nothing.”
The truck reportedly continued driving toward the ICE facility’s parking lot, witnesses told Broadview police.
Last week, officers used tear gas and pepper balls on those gathered outside the brick building’s gates. An ICE spokesperson told that demonstrators slashed the tires of federal vehicles and blocked paths before the use of chemical agents.
Illinois officials have backed so-called “sanctuary city” policies in and around Chicago, preventing local authorities from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently signed two executive orders aimed at protecting the rights of city residents who protest, and Gov. JB Pritzker has criticized the administration’s “terrible plans” for the state.
‘s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.