A total of 21 people were arrested and four agents were injured after a confrontation on Friday, November 14, outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, outside Chicago, where dozens of religious activists and immigrant advocates were protesting against Operation Midway Blitz raids implemented by the Donald Trump administration.
According to an official statement from Broadview City Hall, the situation turned violent when a group of protesters crossed the barriers set up for peaceful protest, attempting to approach the main entrance to the detention center. Local officers, along with reinforcements from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Illinois State Police, responded to disperse the crowd.
Mayor Katrina Thompson confirmed that the injured included two city officers, a state trooper and a county sheriff’s deputy.
All four were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries and later released.
“I have repeatedly pleaded with the protesters to raise their voices, not their fists. They have chosen violence. These outsiders have chosen to assault police officers who were protecting their right to express themselves while defending them from potential confrontations with ICE agents. We will see you in court,” Thompson said in a statement.
Context: the tension of Operation Midway Blitz
Clergy and other protesters clashed with police at a Broadview ICE facility near Chicago during a rally against immigration actions https://t.co/EUbRfdcx4X pic.twitter.com/jBpXJu4JMo
– Reuters (@Reuters) November 14, 2025
Broadview has become the epicenter of demonstrations against the federal government’s immigration policies in recent weeks, after hundreds of immigrants were detained in the Chicago metropolitan area during raids coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the so-called Operation Midway Blitz.
ICE’s Broadview processing center is one of the largest deportation processing facilities in the Midwest, and has been singled out by activists for its “express processing” policy that prevents detainees from quickly contacting attorneys or family members.
Friday’s protests were called by members of religious and human rights organizations, who demanded an end to the federal operation and denounced the detention of parents with no criminal record.
Testimonials and feedback
Several community groups, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ICIRR), called the police operation a “disproportionate response.”
Videos circulated on social networks showing officers pushing protesters and using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
However, local authorities insisted that the intervention was necessary to “maintain public safety” and prevent further damage in an area where an elementary school and several businesses also operate.
The Broadview Police Department said the 21 arrestees were transported to the Cook County Correctional Facility and face charges of disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice and battery on an officer, although most are expected to be released on bail in the next few hours.
Call for calm
What a photograph.
“Nearly two dozen arrested as faith leaders protested outside a federal immigration facility near Chicago…”
Arrested large amounts of peaceful clergy face first on pavement is a pretty good sign you’re not the good guys in the story. https://t.co/L212r4a2up pic.twitter.com/JMIPZZMh8F
– The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) November 15, 2025
Meanwhile, religious leaders such as Reverend Miguel Luna, who led part of the demonstration, asked federal authorities to “cease arbitrary detentions” and demanded that the Chicago government mediate to prevent the city from becoming a new focus of repression.
Estamos defendiendo familias, no atacando a nadie. La violencia no vino de nuestra parte. Lo que pedimos es humanidad y respeto por los inmigrantes que viven y trabajan en paz
Reverendo Miguel Luna
Meanwhile, ICE and DHS have not issued a statement on the standoff, but federal sources assured U.S. media that operations in the Chicago area will continue, arguing that their goal is to capture immigrants with outstanding deportation orders.
The tension in Broadview reflects the climate of confrontation between local communities and federal authorities since the beginning of Operation Midway Blitz, and all indications are that protests will continue as long as the ICE facility continues to operate at full capacity.
Filed under: Protest against ICE in Chicago
