Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive Democrat and social media personality running for Congress in Illinois, is facing federal charges after attending a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Chicago.
According to an indictment filed this week, Abughazaleh was charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer and assaulting or impeding an officer during a September demonstration at the Broadview ICE detention center. Prosecutors allege that Abughazaleh and several others surrounded a government vehicle, banged on the hood and windows, and scratched the car’s body—including carving the word “PIG” into the paint. The indictment also claims the protesters broke a side mirror and rear windshield wiper.
Video posted by Abughazaleh herself that day shows her and others standing in front of the ICE vehicle, their hands pressed to the hood as the driver slowly pushed forward. Protesters can be seen shouting and hitting the car as it moved through the crowd.
In a blistering statement following the indictment, Abughazaleh called the charges “political prosecution” and a “gross attempt to silence dissent.”
“This case is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up,” she said, adding that the charges are “unjust.”
She’s not the only political figure named in the case. Others charged include Catherine Sharp, chief of staff to a Chicago alderman and candidate for Cook County Board; Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic ward committeeman; and Brian Straw, a member of the Oak Park Village Board.
Sharp’s attorney, Molly Armour, blasted the case as “ludicrous.”
“We are confident that a jury of Ms. Sharp’s peers will see them for exactly what they are: an effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of participating in protest and exercising their First Amendment rights,” Armour said.
Protests at the Broadview ICE facility have been a regular occurrence since President Donald Trump ordered ICE agents to ramp up enforcement in Chicago, sparking outrage among immigrant-rights groups and progressive politicians.
Abughazaleh is no stranger to confrontation at Broadview. She’s previously protested there and was teargassed and thrown to the ground by an ICE agent.
Evanston mayor Daniel Biss, another Democrat in the race for Schakowsky’s seat, came out swinging in defense of Abughazaleh.
Calling the charges “frivolous,” Biss accused ICE of “violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview.”
“As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors,” Biss said in a statement posted on X. “Now, the Trump Administration is targeting protestors, including political candidates, in an effort to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won’t work.”
The Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment.
