At least four people are facing federal criminal charges due to their involvement in a violent protest over the weekend outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Chicago.
ICE locations have become increasingly targeted in violent attacks over the last several months, including last week’s shooting at an ICE Dallas office that killed one detainee and wounded two others. No officers were injured in the attack.
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Three protesters are being charged with forcibly assaulting federal officers in Illinois, while the other one is being charged with forcibly resisting federal officers, according to criminal complaints filed Sunday and shared by the Chicago Sun-Times. Two of the charged suspects were allegedly carrying firearms with lawful permits during the protest on Saturday in Broadview, Illinois.
The following morning, the Department of Homeland Security announced two guns were recovered near the detention center, and an investigation into what appeared to be an explosive device was underway.
In total, 11 protesters were arrested during the clash with federal officers.
Among the four charged defendants was Paul Ivery, who admitted to threatening a Border Patrol agent: “I’ll f***ing kill you right now.” Afterward, he pulled an agent’s helmet while fleeing in an effort to resist arrest. At one point during the pursuit, Ivery jumped on top of a car in the street.
The other three people were identified as Hubert Mazur, Ray Collins, and Jocelyne Robledo.
This particular immigration facility has been the site of several recent anti-ICE protests.
Just over one week ago, over 100 anti-ICE protesters blockaded the facility to prevent vehicles from exiting the premises. Their actions led to an altercation with federal agents, who deployed tear gas and fired nonlethal bullets as part of their crowd-control tactics.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running for a Democratic seat in the House next year, participated in that protest and denounced ICE for trying to intimidate them.
“It was terrifying. It was impossible to breathe and really, really scary,” he said in a 25-second video in Broadview. “They are trying to intimidate us, to stop us from standing up and being a part of a nonviolent resistance, and we will not be intimidated.”
The charges came days after Attorney General Pam Bondi warned that protesters who assault federal officers would be hit with criminal charges.
“At my direction, I am deploying DOJ agents to ICE facilities—and wherever ICE comes under siege—to safeguard federal agents, protect federal property, and immediately arrest all individuals engaged in any federal crime,” Bondi said in a statement on Friday.
ICE AGENTS TEAR GAS CHICAGO-AREA PROTESTERS OUTSIDE DETENTION CENTER
“The Department of Justice will seek the most serious available charges against all participants in these criminal mobs, including conspiracy offenses, assault offenses, civil disorder offenses, and terrorism offenses,” she added.
Chicago and the rest of Illinois are experiencing a surge in ICE agents after the DHS launched mass raids under “Operation Midway Blitz” to detain illegal immigrants starting earlier this month.