BROADVIEW, Ill. — Federal agents fired pepper balls and tear gas at protesters near an immigration enforcement building in suburban Chicago on Friday.
The conflict unfolded over several hours, marking the latest confrontation by federal authorities against activists demonstrating outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Broadview, approximately 12 miles west of Chicago.
In response to demonstrators attempting to obstruct a vehicle accessing the ICE building, agents resorted to using chemical agents after shots were fired into the crowd. Most of the protesters had kept their distance from the fence but faced the brunt of the agents' crowd control measures.
Protesters fled as agents repeatedly dispersed the crowd, many members coughing and disoriented from the effects of the chemicals.
In the weeks prior, crowds had attempted to block ICE vehicles, prompting the installation of a new fence that pushed demonstrators further back during Friday’s protests.
Earlier in the day, a smaller assembly of protesters had gathered closer to the building, banging on drums and attaching handwritten messages of support for detainees to the fence, with slogans like “No human is illegal.”
The situation escalated further when federal agents pulled down signs and flags from the fence, leading to heated exchanges between them and the protesters.
Bushra Amiwala, an elected member of the Skokie Board of Education, reported being shot by pepper balls while affixing supportive notes onto the fence, causing respiratory distress.
“They caught us so incredibly off guard,” Amiwala recounted, expressing that the reaction from federal forces was alarming given the peaceful nature of their demonstration.
In protest against the “illegally built” fence, local officials have demanded its removal, raising security concerns while the structure remains intact. While some arrests were made in previous protests at the site, it remained unclear if any detentions occurred during Friday’s events.
