Armed Rioter Arrested As Protesters Try To Block ICE Agents From Driving Into Illinois Facility

A rioter armed with a gun was arrested as protesters tried to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from driving in and out of an agency processing center in Broadview, Illinois, on Friday morning.

Authorities arrested 17 rioters and more arrests are expected, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Fox News Friday.

In one dramatic scene captured on a video posted to X, the demonstrators could be seen surrounding the front of one agency vehicle as they shouted expletives at the agents and called them “fascist pigs.” They also hurled teddy bears at the car as they banged on its hood.

The vehicle slowly continued as federal agents in tactical gear deployed pepper balls to force the group to disperse. Some rioters attempted to hurl tear gas at the agents, according to video posted on X.

“They’re obstructing law enforcement vehicles from being able to enter that facility,” said McLaughlin, who called the situation “very alarming.”

BREAKING: Protesters attempt to block a vehicle driven by an individual that displayed a DHS badge from advancing towards the Broadview ICE facility pic.twitter.com/bdkbSYri9A

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 26, 2025

The Trump administration commenced its “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago and the surrounding areas earlier this month, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants, including gang members, murderers, and child sex offenders, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Federal agents at ICE facility in Broadview, IL continue to shoot pepper balls and tear gas at anti-ICE crowd that is trying to get close to the facility.

Some people in the crowd have left but there are still people blocking the road.@theblaze pic.twitter.com/e28KBbmHnh

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 26, 2025

Just one week ago, violent rioters at the Broadview facility laid their hands on ICE officers, threw tear gas canisters at them, slashed the tires of their cars, blocked the entrance of the building, and tried to force their way in.

Since then, a fence was erected to secure the perimeter of the government building.

The attempt to block ICE’s operations comes amid a 1,000% increase in assaults against agency personnel. It also follows a fatal shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, where anti-ICE sniper Joshua Jahn, 29, killed one illegal immigrant detainee and injured two others before turning the gun on himself on Wednesday.

Last month, a man who was identified as 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson walked into the ICE facility in Dallas and claimed to have a bomb in his backpack while flashing a “detonator” on his wrist, the agency said.

At a nearby ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, a group of leftist anarchists clad in military-style gear threw fireworks to lure officers outside on July 4 before they opened fire and shot a local police officer in the neck.

In response to Wednesday’s attack in Dallas, President Donald Trump called on Democrats to stop demonizing law enforcement.

“This is despicable!” said Trump. “The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists.”

“This violence is the result of the Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to ‘Nazis,’” Trump argued. “The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped. ICE Officers, and other Brave Members of Law Enforcement, are under grave threat.”

“I AM CALLING ON ALL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THIS RHETORIC AGAINST ICE AND AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT NOW!” the president wrote. “The Trump Administration is fully committed to backing Law Enforcement, Strong Borders, securing our Homeland, deporting Violent Illegal Criminals, and fully rooting out Left Wing Domestic Terrorism that is terrorizing our Country.”