Broadview, Illinois demands ICE leave as Tensions escalate
Broadview, IL – A growing conflict between federal immigration authorities and local officials in Broadview, Illinois, has reached a boiling point, with Mayor Katrina Thompson and other leaders demanding the removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from the Chicago suburb. The dispute centers around ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” a heightened enforcement effort in the Chicago area,and has been marked by protests,arrests,and accusations of misconduct.
Federal agents and protesters clashed outside an ICE facility in Broadview on September 29, 2025, as seen in images captured by Michael Loria of USA TODAY. (Images with aspect ratios 4:3 and 3:4 available here and here).
Department of Homeland Security officials maintain that immigration agents are operating appropriately under tough circumstances. Though, mayor Thompson and Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills have accused ICE of overreach and initiated a criminal investigation into federal agents in connection with two alleged hit-and-run incidents and damage to a news reporter’s vehicle.
“These rioters are laying siege and interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a letter addressed to Thompson. “Failure to provide relief makes you a party to the obstruction of justice.There will be no change in our operational posture until these unlawful activities cease. The only siege in Broadview is the one being waged against the United States government.”
According to Homeland Security officials, 34 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, including three individuals found to be carrying loaded firearms. Further details regarding the arrests are currently unavailable.
Agency officials have distanced themselves from the criminal allegations leveled by Broadview police, calling the investigation “bogus” and “political theater.”
“Less than a week after a terrorist attack at an ICE facility in Dallas,” said agency spokesperson Emily Covington, “Mayor Katrina Thompson, Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills, and acting Fire Chief Matt Martin chose to smear ICE and launch a bogus criminal investigation into our brave ICE law enforcement. It’s disheartening that even after the terrorist attack and arrests of rioters with guns outside the Broadview ICE facility, these sanctuary politicians chose to engage in political theatre to inflame hatred of ICE.”
Federal agents have deployed chemical agents, including pepper spray and tear gas, to disperse protesters blocking immigration enforcement vehicles. On September 26, agents reportedly used these agents against protesters and journalists positioned on a road leading to the ICE facility located at 1930 Beach Street in Broadview.
The situation unfolds as ICE enforcement continues largely uninterrupted during the ongoing government shutdown,according to DHS.
Link to related USA TODAY article on ICE enforcement and the government shutdown
This article was published October 1, 2025.