Since the beginning of “Operation Midway Blitz,” thousands of people have come to the Broadview Detention Center to protest the Trump administration’s inhumane attacks on immigrant communities. These protests, which have been celebrated by elected officials and communities across the country, were met with brutal force, arrests, and 100+ criminal cases aimed at silencing dissent.
“Governor Pritzker was one of many to call for ‘mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption’ in response to an inhumane campaign of terror against our neighbors. Thousands have mobilized for justice for community members facing kidnapping, imprisonment, and murder, only to then be arrested and charged by the state with alleged crimes carrying serious and unreasonable risks of jail time and fines. We should be centering and defending our community members as masked federal agents continue to carry out violent, warrantless arrests and unleash chemical weapons in residential neighborhoods.” AJ Noon, a protester arrested outside the Broadview Detention Center
On Wednesday, individuals with misdemeanor cases, along with volunteer attorneys affiliated with NLG Chicago, held a press conference after another 19 cases stemming from protests outside the Broadview Detention Center were dismissed. Prosecutors have also informed attorneys that, after their review, they are proceeding on a number of cases set for status or trial in April.
In many of the cases, based on attorneys’ review of the body worn camera footage tendered in discovery, the arrests and charges are not supported by the evidence. Additionally, attorneys contend that the arrests were in violation of protesters’ First Amendment rights, because police were enforcing unconstitutional curfew and geographic restrictions on speech at the Broadview ICE Facility. Protesters and attorneys maintain that state police officers’ at Broadview violated the Trust Act, which specifically prohibits “participat[ing], support[ing], or assist[ing in any capacity with an immigration agent’s enforcement operations, including…establishing a security or traffic perimeter surrounding such operations, or any other on-site support.”
“Moving forward with the prosecutions of protesters and rapid response volunteers makes our communities less safe. By prosecuting these cases, Illinois is silencing dissent and aiding the Trump administration’s attack on our immigrant community members. It would be a great tragedy if those who felt compelled to act and heeded those calls from our elected officials wound up with criminal records because they came together to object to people’s rights being violated and families being torn apart,” said Amanda Yarusso, NLG member and civil rights attorney.
NLG attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss based on First Amendment grounds in one of the pending cases and expect to file in more cases, along with a motion to quash the arrest based on the violation of the Trust Act. Attorneys volunteering in collaboration with the NLG have represented more than 100 people charged with felonies, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations stemming from protests in Broadview, as well as people charged with federal offenses.
