September 21, 2025, 7:30 AM
On Friday, federal agents significantly escalated their attacks on speech and people protesting at the now notorious ICE detention facility in suburban Broadview, IL.
From the early morning of September 19 through the late evening, federal law enforcement agents repeatedly lashed out at people assembled outside. Beginning around 5:45 a.m., agents fired pepper balls at demonstrators without provocation. Agents used pepper balls throughout the day and further escalated with aerosol chemical agents, including appearing to fire projectiles directly at individuals, including at their heads. Two protesters were injured so badly that they were taken to nearby hospitals. Additional injured demonstrators were treated by EMTs and street medics on the scene. We received numerous other reports of injury, including head injuries, lacerations to legs and arms, and bruising from projectile weapons.
NLG Chicago Legal Observers present witnessed law enforcement violence against the gathered crowds, and several observers sustained injuries. Federal agents pointed rifles at unarmed individuals, including marked legal observers. The indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper balls are still resulting in breathing and lung issues, chemical rashes, and welts more than 24 hours later.
Ultimately, 10 people were arrested by federal law enforcement yesterday. All have been released. We learned that agents transported some detainees away from the facility and then released them miles away behind a BP gas station.
These violent actions by federal law enforcement endangered everyone who was present, including family members of immigrants detained inside the facility, demonstrators, Legal Observers, journalists, elected officials, and other people exercising their First Amendment rights.
Brad Thomson, a volunteer attorney with NLG Chicago said, “These egregious acts of violence against people exercising their rights to free speech exemplify this administration’s flagrant assault on the First Amendment. The violent use of government power to suppress dissent embodies the authoritarian and xenophobic agenda being pursued by federal authorities.”
“NLG Chicago will continue to zealously defend the Constitutional rights of people speaking out against the federal attack on our communities,” said Thomson.
