The Dictatorship
Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh thrown to ground during ICE protest
By Are Salam
Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh said she was injured Friday as a result of getting knocked to the ground by a U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agent.
The incident took place during a demonstration outside of the Broadview ICE detention facility near Chicago. Abughazaleh, a Democrat seeking to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, posted a video on Xwriting: “This is what it looks like when ICE violates our First Amendment rights.”
She added in a reply: “What ICE just did to me was a violent abuse of power — and it’s still nothing compared to what they’re doing to immigrant communities.”
The video shows a masked agent in camouflage fatigues picking up Abughazaleh by her torso and tossing her onto the pavement, where she landed abruptly on her right side, making a loud thud. She told BLN that she received minor injuries, without specifying.
Abughazaleh also said that ICE agents shouted “your First Amendment rights are on the sidewalk” at her and other protesters, while using tear gas and shooting pepper balls, some of which she said hit her.
“This escalation isn’t surprising,” she said. “We shouldn’t be shocked that ICE agents that are allowed to operate outside the law operate outside the law. This should be a processing facility, meaning people should not be held there for more than 12 hours at a time, but they are being held there for days, even weeks.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement to BLN, “These fame hungry, sanctuary politicians are so desperate for their 15-minutes of fame that they will go so far as to put our law enforcement at risk and obstruct justice.”
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running against Abughazaleh in the 9th District’s Democratic primary, was also present, writing on X: “Federal forces just tear gassed myself and the other peaceful protestors here at the Broadview ICE facility. This is a terrifying escalation, but we will not back down.”
Another Democratic candidate in the 9th, Bushra Amiwala, said she was tear-gassed herself, writing on X: “Hundreds of peaceful protesters and I got tear-gassed at the ICE Broadway facility this morning — this is what your taxpayer dollars are being used for.”
Meanwhile, ICE announced Friday that it has made more than 400 arrests so far in its immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. Despite pushback from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, President Donald Trump ordered the increased presence of ICE agents as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” which launched Sept. 8.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for BLN Digital. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.