Residents demand Broadview remove illegal fence, as ICE tear gas hits village police
Broadview PD also announced an investigation into a pepper ball fired at a reporter.
Calls are growing for the Village of Broadview to remove an unsafe fence illegally constructed by ICE around its facility there. However, local law enforcement has been subject to chemical weapons attacks launched by ICE agents, according to statements by Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson and Police Chief Thomas Mills.
“Broadview police officers are routinely being exposed to ICE agents' tear gas volleys, forcing them out of action until they recover. Broadview firefighters and ambulance personnel are being exposed. Nearby residents are being exposed... Beleaguered Broadview residents are begging for relief from your center's siege of our neighborhood.", said Thompson in a letter to ICE.
The tear gas was released after an ICE vehicle struck a pedestrian. Village police are investigating the incident, as well as a federal agent who shot a pepper ball at a reporter.
Federal immigration agents’ willingness to expose local officers to gas is significant – Broadview Police would be the ones tasked with enforcing village codes by removing the fence, and with investigating the struck pedestrian.
According to videos posted to social platforms, the ICE gas attacks have often been launched without the dispersal orders required by Illinois law, raising questions of enforcing state authority as well.
Instances of federal agents violating local and state laws are mounting around the country.
Journalist and IL-09 congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh posted videos to social platforms Bluesky and TikTok demanding Broadview remove the fence. The posts have amassed tens of thousands of likes and reposts as of Sunday. Bushra Amiwala, a candidate in the same congressional race, is among protesters who have tied handwritten notes with red ribbons on the fence.
The fence, constructed on a public road, is illegal because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not receive a permit, and it blocks the fire department from accessing businesses on the street, according to statements by village officials reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The ICE response to Mayor Thompson’s letter demanding DHS take down the fence was only to inform the Broadview police and fire departments about increased enforcement actions and use of chemical arms.