The situation in Chicago

Cook County barred the use of county-owned buildings, parking lots, garages and vacant lots for civil immigration enforcement activities, implementing similar measures enacted in Chicago and most recently neighboring Lake County.

[...]

Last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones” at Chicago city property and “unwilling” private businesses. Since, others have moved to follow suit.

The Evanston City Council on Monday unanimously agreed to a resolution that prohibits the use of city property for federal immigration enforcement operations. A day later, the Lake County Board passed a similar resolution.

  Chicago Tribune

That's interesting.  I was driving all around Lake County yesterday morning.  I didn't see any disturbances, but I was not in Round Lake. I was in Fox Lake, however, and there's a report they were there at a townhome construction site. I was unaware of any issues at the time.  No doubt they think smaller communities just outside Chicago are less likely to obstruct their hellish mission.

Again, this is not DHS.  This is the Illinois State Police.  They're under the office of the governor.  I haven't yet gotten a response from that office (they're busy!) to my request for an explanation of why these officers are doing goon work.  

State police said in a statement released Friday morning that officials had issued “repeated instructions” for demonstrators to move and said that blocking the street created traffic safety issues and made it more difficult for lawyers and other third parties to get into the processing center building.

  Chicago Tribune

Nice excuse. But that's still no reason to whack 'em and drag 'em.

Among those arrested was a campaign staffer for Kat Abughazaleh, who is running in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.

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Abughazaleh, a progressive content creator who has been attending the protests for several weeks and has at times been joined by some of her primary opponents, said on social media that she “got hit in the face with a baton” at the Friday protest.

She got fully lifted off her feet and thrown to the ground twice in an earlier protest when ICE goons were in charge. Apparently, the state and the small town of Broadview decided the goons, who were shooting people with pepper balls and spraying chemicals, were going to create an uncontrollable situation and brought in the Illinois State police. They put up barriers and moved people to a distance from the detention center itself, which goons are still "protecting". Somebody forgot to tell the State police batons (they're actually huge bats) are not an acceptable substitution for pepper balls.

Protesters began to chant around 8 a.m. Friday, in violation of Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson’s recently issued order that protests only occur between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

[...]

[P]rotesters around 8:05 a.m. pushed toward the ICE building, overpowering a handful of state police and Broadview officers. About five minutes later, dozens of state police in helmets with batons walked toward the crowd and began pushing them back.

Troopers tackled and dragged several people, including a woman with an accordion.

[...]

Thompson has been highly critical of federal agents’ actions outside the processing center, declaring that “this is not Putin’s Russia” and demanding federal authorities cooperate with a set of criminal investigations.

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In a text message statement on the morning’s events, Thompson said “the most effective protests are those that inspire our better angels, not incite our worst demons” and said that “hostile behavior” would hurt the interests of immigrants who protesters were looking to support.

Tell that to the police.

Broadview police Chief Thomas Mills and Deputy Chief Brandy Johnson could be seen among county and state police following the pushback as chants of “Say it loud and say it clear, immigrants are welcome here” echoed down the street over a makeshift drumbeat.

Violent!

The Illinois State Police (highway patrol), FFS.

Calling the recent court ban on National Guard deployment in Illinois part of a “disturbing and recurring pattern,” the Trump administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the president to dispatch troops in the Chicago area pending appeal, escalating the president’s conflict with Democratic governors over using the military on U.S. soil.

The temporary restraining order entered last week by U.S. District Judge April Perry “improperly impinges on the President’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property,” the solicitor general said in its petition asking the high court to stay Perry’s order while the case plays out in the courts.

[...]

The Supreme Court asked lawyers for Illinois to respond by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Monday.

In response to the administration’s appeal, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote in a social media post Friday that the president “will keep trying to invade Illinois with troops — and we will keep defending the sovereignty of our state.”

  Chicago Tribune

 UPDATE 10/19/2025: