Federal agents deployed tear gas and fired pepper-spray balls Friday morning to disperse protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Broadview, Illinois, amid growing backlash to the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Roughly 100 demonstrators gathered at the gates of the suburban Chicago facility, calling for an end to the crackdown, WGN-TV reported. At about 8:30 a.m. CDT, agents launched gas canisters and fired pepper-spray balls as protesters attempted to block a van from exiting the property, according to the Chicago Tribune. At least one protester was pinned to the ground and taken behind the facility gates, while activists said two others were also detained.
The Department of Homeland Security characterized the demonstration as an “organized effort to obstruct ICE law enforcement,” alleging that protesters assaulted officers. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the clashes, saying: “The violent targeting of law enforcement in Illinois by lawless rioters is despicable and Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson must call for it to end. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect the people of Illinois and all Americans.”
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