BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — Protesters rallied outside the Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center Thursday.

The protesters, speaking on behalf of several veteran organizations, said they are demanding ICE stop harassing peaceful protesters and immigrants in the Chicago area.

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Meanwhile, Illinois State Police said they are setting up barricades to create zones for people to protest in Broadview.

The area has been overwhelmed at times in recent weeks with people unhappy with the ICE operation. It’s led to confrontations with agents and five people were charged following protests last weekend.

State police said they hope the barricades will allow for safer traffic flow and cut down on those confrontations.

“The Unified Command is setting updesignated areas where people can safely exercise their rights, which will support the safety of the public, and ensure vehicular traffic can safely access the roads in the area,” a news release read in part. “The goal of the Unified Command is to protect the health and safety of all individuals, including nearby Broadview residents and businesses, and enable the peaceful expression of First Amendment rights. The agencies involved in this operation will neither assist nor obstruct enforcement of federal immigration statutes in compliance with state and federal law.”

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Thursday’s protest was organized in response to what they call a violent arrest of a 70-year-old Air Force veteran outside the Broadview Detention Center last weekend.

Dana Briggs was seen in video wearing a white hat telling federal agents to go away. At one point, the camera catches him on the ground.

The video shows a fellow protester tried to help him up. Agents then surrounded him, and he was led away.

Veterans from the non-profit “Common Defense,” alongside Illinois Vets for Change and the American Civil Liberties Union spoke out against the increasing presence of ICE and use of military force in communities.

Briggs’ arrest marks an alarming escalation of state-sanctioned violence, they said.

“So-called patriots are turning a blind eye when they see mass deportation efforts tearing apart our community, turning a blind eye when they see masked ICE agents and National Guard troops flooding our streets and numbing us to the reality that our civil rights, our democracy is being crushed day by day,” Army veteran Jesse Rojo said.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security said law enforcement have made over 900 arrests during the so-called Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois.

Also this week, a judge has ordered federal authorities to release another man arrested at the Broadview facility last weekend.

Ray Collins was arrested alongside his wife Saturday on charges they assaulted ice agents. The two were found with guns which they had the proper permits to carry with them.

Collins’ wife was released earlier this week.