On Thursday, over 100 officials from Illinois came together to denounce the federal indictment of a progressive congressional candidate and five others linked to protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Chicago.

The open letter, signed by prominent figures such as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and six U.S. representatives from the state, argued that the charges against several political candidates and officials were intended to intimidate and silence dissent.

“The use of our justice system for political purposes breaches a critical threshold that should concern everyone who values democracy and the rule of law,” the letter stated. “This is not reflective of a democratic society, and we must not accept it as the norm.”

The indictment, which was made public on Wednesday, accuses 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh, a social media influencer and candidate for Illinois’s 9th Congressional District, of conspiring to damage an ICE officer’s property to hinder their operations. She is also charged with “forcibly impeding, intimidating, and interfering” with the officer.

Alongside Abughazaleh, others facing charges include Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic committeeperson from Chicago’s 45th Ward; Catherine Sharp, a candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners; Brian Straw, a board member in the suburb of Oak Park; Andre Martin, Abughazaleh’s campaign field director; and Joselyn Walsh.

The defendants dubbed in the letter as the “Broadview 6,” after the suburb where the ICE facility is located are accused of having “surrounded” an ICE officer’s vehicle on Sept. 26 as he attempted to reach the facility. The facility has become the focus of protests in the area. 

The group allegedly “banged aggressively” on the government vehicle and pushed against it to impede its movement. They etched the message “PIG” into the body of the car and broke both a mirror and a windshield wiper, the indictment says. 

The Illinois officials said the indictment follows a “disturbing national pattern,” as exemplified by charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) stemming from an oversight visit to an ICE facility and by the prosecutions of Trump foes including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). 

“Federal prosecutors are being weaponized to punish political opponents and silence dissent,” reads the letter, which asserts that the six defendants are being prosecuted for exercising their First Amendment rights. 

The six House members who signed the letter are Illinois Democratic Reps. Robin Kelly, Delia Ramirez, Jesús “Chuy” García, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten and Jan Schakowsky. 

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a U.S. Senate candidate, also signed the letter. Kelly is also running to fill Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) seat. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), another candidate in the race, was later added as as a signatory. His spokesperson said he was initially left off “in error.”

Abughazaleh is running for Schakowsky’s seat after the longtime congresswoman said she would not run for another term. 

Members of the Illinois General Assembly, Chicago City Council, Cook County Board and Chicago Public Schools Board of Education also signed onto the letter.

Updated at 8:20 p.m. EDT