Protesters nabbed by state police after being forced into 'free speech zone'

Protesters have been gathering outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Illinois for the past few weeks in objection to the federal takeover of the city and the ongoing raids. On Friday, those protesters were moved, leading to a conflict with police.

A federal judge ordered that the large fence erected by the Department of Homeland Security around the Broadview processing facility must be removed. The Village of Broadview took DHS to court, demanding that the fence be removed, WGN reported. The judge agreed it "created a public safety concern" and that it was erected without the proper permits.

WGN said that Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson followed by issuing an executive order adding increased restrictions on the protesters. Her order shrinks the size of a "free speech zone" where people are allowed to protest.

Unraveled, a site made up of journalists who cover police conflicts in Chicago, explained on Bluesky that without the fence, protesters now have better access to the building. However, the Illinois State Police rolled into the facility Friday morning, prepared to push back against protesters and force them back into the zone.

Unraveled uploaded videos showing the area in which the protesters and press were forced to two corners nearby. As the morning unfolded, the protests grew, chanting "CPD! KKK! ICE! They're all the same!"

Ultimately, the crowd grew so large that they no longer fit inside the " free speech zone," and police lined up to try and push people back.

Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills told the crowd that they were allowed to protest, but they had to remain inside the protest area. The crowd ignored him, Unraveled said, showing a video of the interaction.

Illinois State Police then lined up and began pushing into the crowd with large sticks. They began surrounding individuals, some of whom fell and were nabbed by the state police, said Unraveled.

Among those being grabbed and apparently arrested were clergy.

"Everything that just happened was both brutal and expected, given how we've seen ISP behave these last few weeks," said Unraveled on Bluesky. "Saw troopers striking people with batons, dragging protesters. They're currently cuffing someone marked as a medic. Approximately nine people we see in state custody now."