Illinois Congressional Candidate Thrown to Ground by ICE Officer During Protest

A Democratic candidate for Illinois' 9th Congressional District was violently knocked to the ground by a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a protest Friday morning outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois. Kat Abughazaleh, 26, announced her candidacy in March and previously worked as a journalist.

Video shows the moment around 6:30 a.m. when the officer grabbed Abughazaleh across the chest, pushed her forward, picked her up and slammed her onto the pavement. Abughazaleh told HuffPost that later in the morning, she and other protesters attempted to block a van after agents arrested a protester in what she described as a "kidnapping."

The confrontation followed a broader clash between protesters and federal agents stationed at the facility. Federal officers responded by deploying tear gas and firing pepper balls at demonstrators. NBC Chicago reporter Jenn Schanz said media members were targeted with chemical agents as well, describing that she and colleagues were sprayed and had to flee for safety while still trying to report.

Abughazaleh said she fell to the ground, skidding her fingers as she tried to break her fall. She said the injury was painful but did not deter her from continuing to participate in demonstrations. "It’ll probably hurt worse tomorrow, but that’s not going to deter me from protesting," she said later.

In the hours after the initial confrontation, Abughazaleh described conditions inside the broader protest action as emblematic of a broader critique of ICE processing facilities. She characterized the facilities as places where people are held for days or weeks, rather than the 12-hour processing window she contends exists on paper. "This facility is committing crimes against humanity. It is a processing facility, so people are not supposed to be held for more than 12 hours at a time. They are being held for days or even weeks at a time. It’s horrific. They’re not given beds, they’re not given hygienic products, they are not given hot meals. They are treated worse than animals," she said.

Abughazaleh, who has a background in journalism and entered the race for Illinois' 9th Congressional District in March, said she will not be deterred by the incident. "Now is not the time to equivocate on ICE, not the time to capitulate on ICE," she said. "I think it’s time to stop being polite. It is time to yell. It is time to be out there. It is time to be willing to be manhandled by officers. Because guess what? The people in that facility are enduring even worse shit right now."

The protest environment surrounding the Broadview facility remained tense in the hours after the incident, with organizers planning a follow-up demonstration later in the day. Another protest is planned for 7 p.m. Friday at the facility.

The circumstances surrounding Friday’s events were not immediately clarified by ICE, and officials did not respond to requests for comment about the incident or the broader actions at the Broadview facility. Abughazaleh’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.

Images captured during the morning protests show a crowd gathered outside the facility as officers in protective gear moved to control the scene. The incident adds to ongoing, nationwide debates over ICE practices and the handling of protests at immigration facilities.

As Abughazaleh continues her campaign, the incident underscores the heightened attention around political candidates who engage directly with protests and demonstrations on immigration policy. Her experience at the Broadview protest provides a stark, firsthand example of the kind of confrontations that have characterized recent demonstrations, though it remains to be seen how the event will influence her bid in a district where voters weigh national immigration policy alongside local concerns.