Democratic Candidate Indicted Over ICE Protest in Illinois, Calls Charges ‘Political Prosecution’

A 26-year-old Democratic congressional candidate from Illinois has been indicted by the US Department of Justice for allegedly obstructing federal immigration agents during a protest outside a detention facility near Chicago.

Kat Abughazaleh, a journalist, progressive activist, and candidate for Illinois’s ninth congressional district, announced the indictment herself on Wednesday, calling it “a political prosecution” and “an attack on all of our First Amendment rights.”

“I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win,” she said in a social media post.

Federal prosecutors accuse Abughazaleh and five other protesters of blocking a government vehicle and damaging it during a September 23 demonstration at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois. The indictment alleges that protesters surrounded the vehicle, “banged aggressively,” etched the word “PIG” on its body, and broke side mirrors and a windshield wiper.

Abughazaleh faces charges of “conspiracy to impede or injure an officer” and “assaulting, resisting, or impeding” a federal agent, serious felony counts that could carry prison time if convicted.

Among those charged with her are Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic politician in Chicago’s 45th Ward, and Catherine Sharp, a Democratic candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

The charges come amid an ongoing Trump administration crackdown on immigration and dissent, with federal agents surged to several Democrat-run cities under what the White House describes as a deportation drive.

Critics have accused the administration of using the justice system to intimidate political opponents. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Representative LaMonica McIver were both arrested in earlier counterprotests, though Baraka’s charges were later dropped.

Even Abughazaleh’s Democratic primary rival, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, condemned the indictment.

“The only people engaged in violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview have been ICE,” Biss said. “Now, the Trump administration is targeting protesters, including political candidate, to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won’t work.”

Abughazaleh’s case comes as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on Trump’s attempts to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, a move blocked repeatedly by lower courts and seen as a major test of presidential power.