A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted six people, including Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, for allegedly obstructing a federal officer during a protest at an immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois.
The suburban Chicago facility has become a centre of tension since President Donald Trump launched an intensified immigration enforcement campaign, dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, on 8 September. The operation has sparked frequent protests met with tear gas and pepper balls from federal agents.
Prosecutors said the six defendants Abughazaleh, Andre Martin, Michael Rabbitt, Catherine Sharp, Brian Straw, and Joselyn Walsh blocked a government vehicle attempting to enter the facility on 26 September. They allegedly struck and scratched the vehicle, etched the word “pig” into its body, and broke a rear windshield wiper.
Attorneys for the accused dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Molly Armour, representing Sharp, described the charges as “an effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Abughazaleh, a former journalist, and other defendants said they would plead not guilty. Straw, a member of the Oak Park Village Board, stated the charges would not deter him from fulfilling his public duties.
The Broadview facility has been central to growing tensions between federal immigration authorities and Chicago-area activists, following the federal government’s clashes with “sanctuary” jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros emphasised that federal officers “must be able to discharge the duties of their office without confronting force, intimidation, or threats.”
The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge April Perry, who earlier this month barred Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Chicago.
