The mayor of suburban Broadview has declared a civil emergency and ordered meetings to be held remotely amid threats of violence in the community.
According to Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, she was the subject of a threat in mid-October, and that threat was forwarded to the FBI. Village Hall has also been the target of bomb threats, according to her declaration this week.
“Due to safety protocols it’s best to do it virtually to protect the integrity of those who live and work in this village, I stand by every decision that’s been made as it relates to the Village of Broadview,” she said Monday.
Thompson also said that protesters threatened to “storm” Village Hall during a scheduled board meeting Monday, leading to the decision to hold the meeting remotely.
“The threats grew this past Saturday, November 14, 2025, when a group of out-of-town protesters, non-Broadview residents, attempted to storm Village Hall and explicitly threatened to shut down the scheduled Monday, November 17 Board of Trustees meeting, according to the Broadview Police Department,” a statement from the mayor’s office read.
Though the meeting was held remotely, tensions continued to simmer, as residents and protesters clashed outside Village Hall Monday night.
“We hear helicopters in the morning time, in the evening time,” resident Greg Buchanan said. “And to even hear these threats on our mayor, I’m just very upset.”
Ian, a protester who asked not to have his last name published, said that protesters are focused on pushing ICE and other federal agencies out of the Chicago area, not on trying to make life difficult for village government in the suburb.
“I’m not trying to make things hard for Broadview. I’m trying to make things hard for ICE,” he said.
Tensions hit a high point Friday when 21 people were arrested outside of a processing facility in Broadview, many of them clergy.
Multiple police officers were treated for minor injuries after the clashes, according to Broadview’s Unified Command.
The issue of a designated protest zone has remained a sticking point for groups protesting against ICE, arguing that First Amendment rights are being stifled.
Still, residents say that protesters need to remain peaceful and comply with lawful instructions for the good of the community.
“If you’re protesting, come peacefully and then go back home,” Buchanan said.
It is unclear how long the civil emergency proclamation will remain in place.
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