As Kristi Noem visits Broadview, protesters arrested but not teargassed as Illinois takes over crowd control

Protesters who turned out to a demonstration Friday outside the Broadview ICE facility — the scene of many intense clashes recently where federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls and other munitions on the crowds — found themselves butting up against a different law enforcement force: Illinois State Police and a handful of local police officers.

While there were tense and at times chaotic moments, with police looking to push back protesters from blocking the streets, the scene as of midday Friday had not developed into the huge confrontations that had unfolded during the previous weeks.

Even as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made an unannounced visit to the west suburb, federal authorities were largely not involved in the crowd control — and no one used tear gas or other chemical irritants as of the late afternoon.

Of the nearly 100 protesters who attended early Friday, five protesters were arrested.

Late Friday, state troopers closed off 25th Avenue after pushing protesters away from the street. Some in the crowd yelled back at police, “shame.”

Among those who flocked to the Broadview facility were a group — of less than a dozen — who showed support for ICE. Troopers formed a human barricade between those in favor of ICE and those against the agency as the groups shouted at each other. One trooper warned the crowd that they would be arrested if they moved into the driveway.

There were about 50 people protesting ICE late Friday. “We want to keep everybody safe,” a trooper was heard telling the crowd. One of the pro-ICE protesters wore a black hat with Trump’s motto, “Make America Great.”

Alexis Garcia, 31, held a Mexico flag near one of the facility’s driveways. Compared to other nights, the crowd was relatively calm, though the gaggle of state troopers were new, she said.

“My ancestors are Mexican and I need to be out here for those who cannot,” she said. “They are scared. My soul is fuming and it is angry because we know what is right and what is wrong.”

Since President Donald Trump in early September launched “Operation Midway Blitz,” an aggressive deportation campaign in the Chicago area, the Broadview site had been the scene of chaotic confrontations as protesters sought to block ICE vehicles from coming and going to the facility. Federal agents on the rooftop had also at times fired munitions at protesters and journalists with little or no provocation.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

On Thursday, local and state authorities installed new barriers creating “designated protest areas” that were off the street, so vehicles could still access the streets near the ICE facility. The move was designed to limit conflicts, officials said.

Fridays have been the scene of weekly protests outside the facility for years, but they’ve become much more heated with Trump’s new campaign. In addition to the state police, officers from Broadview, the Cook County sheriff’s office and the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) were on hand early. ICE agents in military garb could be seen standing behind sheriff’s officers, pointing out protesters, but not engaging earlier in the day.

Protesters jeered at troopers as they cleared a crosswalk near the 25th Avenue entrance to the facility, 1930 Beach St. At least three state police officers were armed with long guns as lines of protesters stood on either side of the street. One protester who was sitting in the roadway was carried away, marking one of the first arrests of the day.

“Are you proud of yourself?” One protester asked a state trooper. “No, I’m not,” the state trooper responded as he moved two shouting protesters off of the roadway.

The situation calmed down by Friday night with the state troopers standing in front of protesters who mostly lingered around, chanting every so often.

Most protesters were upset that so many state police troopers were on hand.

“It is awful and sad. I just feel like they are not letting us (express our) First Amendment, which is freedom of speech,” said Jessica, who didn’t want to give her last name. Of the state police, “they are just protecting ICE. They are not protecting us as protesters,” she said.

The handful of protesters arrested were charged with aggravated battery of a police officer, resisting and obstructing, according to a statement from Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Oak Park Township Trustee Juan Muñoz was also detained at the protest, but he was later released without charges, Oak Park officials said in a statement.

DHS Secretary Noem makes appearance

As the protests were unfolding, Noem and Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino were seen on the roof of the building. Noem and Bovino were then seen leaving in a vehicle at 9:40 a.m.

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said Noem went to the Broadview Village Hall “unannounced” at one point in an attempt to meet with her. Thompson, who wasn’t there, has repeatedly called on federal authorities to dismantle an “illegal” fence that was erected in the early morning hours of Sept. 2 and said the use of chemical irritants and pellets by agents endangers nearby residents and first responders.

After she heard about Noem’s visit, Thompson went to the Broadview facility.

“Mayor Thompson went to the ICE center, accompanied by the Broadview Police Chief Thomas (Mills), and officers, to ask for the illegal fence to be dismantled. The mayor was told by agents at the gate the secretary was unavailable to meet,” the village said in a statement.

In a post on X, Noem said she went to the village hall “for a quick bathroom break” but was turned away.

“This is how JB Pritzker and his cronies treat our law enforcement. Absolutely shameful,” she said.

Pritzker sharply criticized Noem’s visit, noting that the “last time when the secretary was here, she snuck in during the early morning to film social media videos and fled before sunrise. Illinois is not a photo opportunity or war zone, it’s a sovereign state where our people deserve rights, respect and answers.”

He said the secretary was not welcome in Illinois.

“Federal agents reporting to Secretary Noem have spent weeks snatching up families, scaring law-abiding residents, violating due process rights, and even detaining U.S. citizens,” Pritzker said in the statement. “They fail to focus on violent criminals and instead create panic in our communities.”

Noem should “no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without any form of public accountability,” the governor said.

Attorney general backs state police presence

In a statement Friday afternoon, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul defended the use of state police to oversee protests at the ICE processing center in Broadview.

He said ISP, along with the Cook County sheriff’s office and other local law enforcement, created the “unified command” to ensure a “safe space for the exercise of First Amendment rights while also protecting businesses and access to nearby roads.”

He stressed that local law enforcement’s involvement in Broadview does not violate the state’s TRUST Act, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from participating in or assisting with immigration enforcement.

Also Friday, three people were charged with using their vehicles to impede federal agents this week in the Chicago area, the U.S. Attorney’s Chicago office announced.

Widman Osberto Lopez Funes, 18, is accused of ramming his car into a vehicle driven by ICE officers Wednesday in suburban Bensenville, while Miguel Escareno De Loera, 20, allegedly drove his car into an ICE vehicle three times Thursday in suburban Woodridge. Lopez Funes is charged with felony assault of a federal officer and depredation of U.S. property, and De Loera is charged with felony assault of a federal officer.

Joel Gonzalez, 23, faces a misdemeanor charge of forcibly impeding and interfering with a federal officer after allegedly using his car to block several U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles Thursday in Chicago.

Cindy Hernandez/Sun-Times

Jon Seidel, Kade Heather contributed.