Broadview officials demand ICE remove ‘illegally built' fence around facility

Officials in suburban Broadview are demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents remove fencing erected around a detention facility.

That fencing is posing a safety hazard according to the Broadview fire department, and was built without a proper permit, officials said.

“(The fence) is currently blocking Broadview Fire Department access to that road,” the department said in a statement.

Officials say they are reaching out to the Department of Homeland Security to demand the fence be removed immediately due to the danger posed to local businesses, which could be cut off from fire department equipment since the roadway is impassable.

The fencing around the Broadview facility was erected this week after a series of high-profile clashes between protesters and ICE agents, with protesters attempting to block vehicles and federal agents from entering the facility in recent days.

Videos showed agents firing pepper balls and other projectiles toward crowds, while videos and photos showed scuffles outside of the facility.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin defended the erected fences in a statement to NBC Chicago.

“DHS is extending fencing surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview Processing Center after rioters and sanctuary politicians obstructed law enforcement, threw tear gas cans, rocks, bottles, and fireworks, slashed tires of cars, blocked the entrance of the building, and trespassed on private property,” she said.

McLaughlin also argued that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “sanctuary jurisdiction” refused to assist federal agents with security amid protests, a claim Pritzker’s office says is false.

“It’s completely false to suggest the state or local municipalities have been obstructing federal officials. The state has not received multiple calls for assistance from the federal government and would remind them the importance of coordinating with local law enforcement to protect public safety,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement. “Governor Pritzker has been clear that violence is unacceptable and everyone needs to follow the law, which includes federal agents respecting constitutional rights to peaceful protest.”

The governor’s office added that the village of Broadview and Cook County have also not requested state help.

Organizations have also disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of protesters being aggressors in the confrontations outside the facility.

“These egregious acts of violence against people exercising their rights to free speech exemplify this administration’s flagrant assault on the First Amendment,” Brad Thomson, a volunteer attorney with National Lawyers Guild Chicago, said in a statement. “The violent use of government power to suppress dissent embodies the authoritarian and xenophobic agenda being pursued by federal authorities.”