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More than a dozen people were arrested by federal agents on Friday during protests at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Fox News observed at the scene.
Five people were arrested by local law enforcement, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said.
Just before 8 a.m. ET, approximately 250 anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the facility where Illinois State Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office set up barricades to designate protest zones, Fox News observed at the scene.
Fox News observed agents firing pepper balls, tear gas and rubber bullets to clear crowds blocking federal operations.
Just hours later, tensions appeared to have died down significantly and police were no longer wearing gas masks.
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Fox News witnessed more than a dozen protesters being arrested in the streets near the Broadview ICE facility.
Ezra Q. Imes, 27, and Eman T. Abdelhadi, 36, were charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, and Rafael L. Menon, 20, Audrey J. Gladson, 32, and Tricia Black, were charged with resisting and obstruction, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
ICE agents across the country have faced increased protests amid growing unrest regarding President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The ICE processing center in Broadview has become a flashpoint for the protests.
Broadview police opened multiple investigations at the ICE facility, WMAQ-TV reported. The cases include two alleged hit-and-runs and criminal damage to property. Additionally, the outlet noted that its reporters observed escalating tensions between ICE agents and protesters over the last few weeks.
Protesters at Broadview have blocked law enforcement vehicles and have shouted threats against officers, officials have said. In response, federal law enforcement officers have repeatedly deployed riot control measures and made several arrests.
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On Sept. 29, the Justice Department announced that five individuals had been charged in federal court with assaulting or forcibly resisting federal agents in Broadview. The DOJ said the charges allege defendants made criminal physical contact with federal agents and that two defendants allegedly had loaded firearms while assaulting the federal agents.
One of the suspects, identified as Paul Ivery, is accused of telling agents, “I’ll [expletive] kill you right now.”
The other suspects were identified as Dana Briggs, Hubert Mazur, Ray Collins and Jocelyne Robledo. Collins and Robledo are accused of having loaded firearms.
“While assisting our federal partners in securing the ICE Broadview facility on Saturday, ATF and Border Patrol agents were assaulted by violent and armed protestors, resulting in injury to an ATF agent,” Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), said.
“ATF takes all assaults on law enforcement seriously and will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for their actions,” Amon added.
Last week, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson sent a letter to ICE Field Office Director Russell Hott in which she accused the agency of “making war” on her community and “endangering nearby village residents” with its response to the protests, WTTW reported.
In response, ICE accused Thompson of “distorting reality” and “pointing her finger in the wrong direction, while our officers are protecting her community — and others — from real threats, while also facing skyrocketing violence against them, including at the Broadview facility.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
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