Illinois Democratic Candidate Indicted Amid Immigration Protests

Thu Oct 30 2025 16:57:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Kat Abughazaleh, a Democratic congressional candidate in Illinois, faces indictment alongside five others for their participation in obstructive protests at a federal immigration enforcement site in Chicago. The case reflects growing tensions between protest movements and federal immigration policies.

Kat Abughazaleh, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois, has been indicted along with five others over accusations of blocking a federal agent's vehicle during protests outside a Chicago immigration enforcement building. The indictment highlights escalating confrontations between protesters opposing federal immigration actions and law enforcement. Abughazaleh claims the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to stifle dissent. This incident is part of a wider trend in Illinois as immigration enforcement becomes a key campaign issue ahead of the March primary.

Illinois Democratic Candidate Indicted Amid Immigration Protests

CHICAGO (AP) — A Democratic congressional candidate in Illinois has been indicted along with five others accused of blocking vehicles during September protests outside a federal immigration enforcement building in suburban Chicago, according to court documents.

The indictment, filed by a special grand jury, accuses Kat Abughazaleh of blocking a federal agent outside the immigration processing center.

Abughazaleh asserts that, This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment. This case is a major push by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish anyone who speaks out against them, as stated in a video posted to BlueSky.

Protests at the immigration center have been organized in response to operations that have resulted in more than 1,800 arrests and reports of excessive force.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis has mandated that Greg Bovino, who oversees Border Patrol efforts in Chicago, brief her every evening on ongoing operations, which is an unprecedented measure aimed at ensuring oversight on immigration practices within the city.

Federal prosecutors accuse Abughazaleh and her co-defendants of surrounding a vehicle driven by a federal agent on Sept. 26 and attempting to prevent it from entering the facility. The indictment details that the group banged on the car, broke a mirror, and scratched the word 'PIG' onto it.

Abughazaleh is a candidate in a bustling Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Protesting against the immigration crackdown has emerged as a critical theme in primary campaigns in Illinois, a state with a strong Democratic presence.

Abughazaleh has declared, As I and others have exercised our First Amendment rights, ICE has hit, dragged, thrown, shot with pepper balls, and tear-gassed hundreds of protesters... She emphasized her resolve to continue fighting against what she describes as a descent into fascism in America.