Ever since our current presidential administration was sworn in at the beginning of this year, things have felt as though they were going in a downward spiral. Now that we are more than nine months into the year, I can say with confidence that things don’t seem to be changing. Unfortunately, ICE agents have only spread themselves even further, kidnapping and arresting just about anyone they deem to be an illegal immigrant. Despite the circumstances, protesters still go out of their way to ensure the voice of those inside detention centers are heard. In the Broadview area, just south of Chicago, Illinois, armored ICE agents are harassing protestors standing outside the ICE facility there.
The above video showcases just one of the brutal tactics being used by ICE agents to get protestors away from the facility. Specifically, the woman in the video, Kat Abughazaleh, a Democratic Congressional Candidate, was thrown to the floor by an agent after being forcibly carried to the street. At this, one commentator said, “Lowkey you might be able to sue.”
What makes matters even worse is that these agents are armored with highly-defensive tactical gear. Many of them are even wielding automatic weapons as they aggressively pull and push at protestors who all look to be running away. Honestly, I’d be running for my life too if I was being chased by ICE agents with guns.
The protestors who were outside where demostrating peacefully, likely in hopes of getting the attention of an emplyee or someone who owns the facility. Some protestors reported ICE agents also using tear gas to deter people from getting to close. The use of tear gas also affected those nearby who had nothing to do with the protest. This is an interesting turn of events, as Chicago officials were actually turned away from Broadview’s detention center this past July. During the same time this was happening, Maryland officials were also denied entry inside an ICE facility.
Thankfully, those who were harrassed and accosted were only injured, considering how real the threat of being killed is. Considering the force that these armed agents used to get people to do what they wanted, however, will likely result in some battered and bruised bodies. The only thing that we can do as a society is continue to show these officers that we don’t plan on backing down, and that for every denetion center that opens up, expect there to be hundreds of protestors standing outside.
