A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted six people, including a Democratic congressional candidate and other local politicians, on charges of interfering with a federal agent during a chaotic protest outside an immigration detention site last month.
Some Illinois Democrats accused the Justice Department of singling out President Trump’s political opponents for prosecution with the indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday. The top federal prosecutor in Chicago defended the charges as upholding the rule of law.
For nearly two months, federal agents have flooded the Chicago area as part of the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration, making more than 3,000 arrests and clashing repeatedly with protesters and residents.
The charges unsealed on Wednesday related to a Sept. 26 protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the suburb of Broadview, Ill. Demonstrators have gathered repeatedly at the Broadview site, sometimes blocking access to the driveway and engaging in physical confrontations with federal agents. Those agents have at times used tear gas, pepper balls and physical force against protesters.
The charging document asserts that the defendants were part of a larger group that tried to block a federal agent from driving to the ICE facility that morning. The indictment said members of the group banged on the vehicle, stood in front of it, pushed against it and damaged a side mirror and a windshield wiper. Someone in the group etched the word “PIG” into the vehicle, the charging document said.
All six defendants were charged with interfering with a federal agent and conspiring with one another to interfere with an agent. Both charges can carry multiyear prison sentences.
“All federal officials must be able to discharge the duties of their office without confronting force, intimidation or threats,” said Andrew S. Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, in a statement. “As we have warned repeatedly, we will seek to hold accountable those who cross the line from peaceful protests to unlawful actions or conspiracies that interrupt, hinder or impede the due administration of Justice.”
Those indicted included Kat Abughazaleh, a Democratic candidate for Congress; Brian Straw, an Oak Park, Ill., village trustee; and Cat Sharp, a candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
Ms. Abughazaleh, who is running for an open seat in Illinois’s solidly Democratic Ninth Congressional District, said in a video posted online that “this is a political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent.” That seat, which includes part of the North Side of Chicago and several suburbs, is now held by Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat who is not seeking another term.
Ms. Sharp said in a statement that “I am confident that a jury of my peers will see these charges for exactly what they are — another effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of participating in protest and exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Mr. Straw said in a statement that “the Trump Justice Department’s decision to seemingly hand-pick public officials like me for standing up against these inhumane policies will not deter me from fulfilling my oath of office.” He added that “I will fight these baseless charges, and I will continue to stand with and protect our immigrant neighbors.”
The unsealing of the indictment in Illinois came on the same day that federal prosecutors in California announced the arrests of 10 people accused of breaking the law during protests of immigration enforcement in that state. The officials said that an 11th defendant was in state custody and was expected to be transferred to the federal authorities, while they declared a 12th person a fugitive.
The tactics of federal officers in Illinois have come under repeated scrutiny in recent weeks as agents have been filmed using tear gas on protesters and bystanders while making arrests. Federal officials have said force has been used appropriately after agents have come under direct threats. A federal judge, Sara L. Ellis, placed restrictions on agents’ actions after a lawsuit accused them of indiscriminately deploying tear gas and using force.
During a hearing this week, Judge Ellis, an Obama appointee, voiced concern that agents had not always followed her restrictions. She ordered a senior Border Patrol official, Gregory Bovino, to appear in her courtroom each weeknight to discuss that day’s enforcement activities. Mr. Bovino is expected to make his first such trip to court on Wednesday evening, though federal officials have asked an appeals court to step in and block the requirement for daily appearances.
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.
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