A dramatic scene unfolded early Friday morning outside the federal immigration facility in suburban Broadview being used for processing as part of the Trump administration’s “Operation: Midway Blitz,” with protesters and activists blocking cars and clashing with armed staff.
Video and photos captured by NBC Chicago photographer George Mycyck showed a group of about two dozen protesters, some holding signs speaking out against immigration enforcement.
At one point, the protesters surround a van attempting to leave the facility, and the van eventually backs up into the facility parking lot behind a gate.
Minutes later, the gate reopens, and what appears to be armed staff in uniforms, some with faces covered by masks and glasses, walk towards protesters, gesturing at them to move back.
At one point, guards appear to physically move activists in an attempt to clear a path. Later, staff can be seen detaining an individual, and brining them back behind the gate.
According to a news bulletin, 9th congressional candidate and TikTok personality Kat Abughazaleh was expected to be at the protest. No further details from officials or organizers were provided.
The clash comes as immigration enforcement across the Chicago area continues, with steady streams of unmarked cars and masked immigration agents bringing in detainees to the Broadview processing center.
“We’re losing people every day. Every day we are losing people,” said Christopher Gomez, who told NBC 5 Investigates his brother was detained by agents during a traffic stop Thursday morning.
Gomez said his brother does not have any criminal convictions and was told by security at the ICE processing facility that he’ll need to hire his brother an immigration attorney. He left the facility without being permitted to speak to him.
He wasn’t alone.
Families of ICE detainees interviewed by NBC 5 Investigates say they have struggled to get information about their loved one’s condition, their court status or whether or not they’ve been deported.
Increased immigration enforcement operations began in earnest last week; and continued this week with both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Krisi Noem posting videos to social media of immigration raids.
But the families’ questions and concerns come increased immigration enforcement show no sign of slowing down.
While President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of increased enforcement, the recent operations in Los Angeles – and now Chicago – were in part aimed at helping to curb crime.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have yet to provide firm numbers to NBC 5 Investigates on the number of people detained since “Operation Midway Blitz” began last week.
DHS has provided press releases identifying what the agency calls some of the “worst of the worst” among arrestees.
An NBC 5 Investigates’ review of court records found many of those arrested in Chicago did not have criminal conviction. For 18 of the 22 cases we examined, we could not any of their alleged arrests or criminal histories, despite searching court systems in 12 Illinois counties and all those in Wisconsin and Indiana. It is possible that alleged crimes or arrests could have occurred elsewhere.
There certainly were some who did have serious convictions – including a 2005 murder in Kane County. Another person referenced by DHS had twice been removed from the country in 2018.
On Thursday, we heard back from Gisele Maldonado – who we had interviewed the day before outside the ICE processing center in Broadview. She came there looking for information on her uncles – 38-year-old Eder Nicolas Jimenez Barrios and 40 year old Gabriel Soto-Rivera.
The Department of Homeland Security featured Soto-Rivera in a press release of the so-called “worst of the worst” arrestees. And while DHS says Soto-Rivera was arrested by Chicago Police in 2010 for domestic battery, our search of court records in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana have so far has turned up no record of that.
Giselle Maldonado told us she learned that both of her uncles had since been deported back to Mexico.
“I think it’s wrong, it’s just wrong,” Maldonado said.
Since Trump took office again in January, data obtained by NBC shows there’s been a huge increase in the number of people arrested and designated for what’s called “expedited removal” – more than 2,000 cases in the month of June alone.
Standing outside the ICE processing center Thursday, NBC 5 Investigates also met two women who say their father, Rosalio Pelayo Salgado, has been in the facility for several days after being arrested from their home in Elgin on Sept. 10.
“It’s unfair. It’s not right,” said Yessena Pelayo, Rosalio’s daughter.
