How Broadview, a quiet Chicago suburb, became a hotspot for immigration protests at ICE

Before that, Broadview, a village of 8,000 that stretches just over two miles, was completely unknown. Its quiet streets, where some neighbors say they don’t lock their car doors, have attracted a diverse mix of middle- and working-class families, including Hispanics, blacks and whites. Now, after the Department of Homeland Security has launched Operation Midway Blitz, a massive series of immigration arrests ordered by President Donald Trump, the Chicago suburb has changed dramatically. To the hot, pulsating center of resistance.

Over the past few weeks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, and two U.S. senators, both Democrats, have attracted Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworthand a group of congressional candidates, including Who said it was thrown on the ground? By an ICE agent.

Helicopters constantly fly overhead, and demonstrations often force traffic to stop or slow on major roads. Strangers crowd street parking lots, leaving their cars there all day. Echoes of those screaming can be heard over loudspeakers by those mowing their yards or working on their cars outside. Violent clashes led to columns of tear gas, prompting children and parents to run inside even blocks away. On Saturday night more than a week ago, a group of demonstrators blocked a nearby highway.

That’s when Mayor Katrina Thompson issued an executive order: Protesters can only demonstrate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“It’s just disrupting people’s lives. We deserve a good quality of life. This is our quality of life. Our people need peace after working all day. They need to be able to rest at night,” Thompson told NBC News. “We have families with children with developmental disabilities. The emotional stress that they have to endure — because of the helicopters, the bright lights from our public safety teams, whether it’s fire or police.”

The ICE facility, which was supposed to serve only as a processing center, has been located in the same industrial park for decades, Thompson said. It was difficult to find any resident or business owner who knew of its existence before the recent demonstrations.

Thompson blamed federal authorities for the escalation in clashes. When protesters showed up about a month ago, they were peaceful, she said. First Amendment groups have accused federal authorities of carrying out excessive tactics, including pelting protesters and media with tear gas and pepper balls. A federal judge in Chicago ruled that federal law enforcement could only use such methods under a serious threat.

Thompson said that there is a certain irony in the Trump administration’s announcement of a peace agreement with the Middle East, even as the clashes accelerated in his country.

“I heard about the peace situation in Gaza – we don’t even have peace in our own nation. The hypocrisy is very clear,” she said. “How can you go and say peace somewhere else, and you can’t say peace in America?”

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment. Skirmishes and arrests continued last weekend The mayor will make the announcement on Monday The village will further restrict the area designated for protests.

For Nash, the scene on Friday wasn’t the worst yet. Before the weekend, he saw an armored truck patrolling the area, as well as a crowd of federal agents.

“It looked like an army. Like an army,” he said.