Crime & Law

Kat Abughazaleh, Other Democratic Candidates Plead Not Guilty to Charges Stemming From Confrontation at Broadview ICE Facility

Kat Abughazaleh, who is running to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, pleaded not guilty to federal charges after she and nearly a half-dozen others were arrested and accused of interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Abughazaleh and five others entered their not guilty pleas before a packed courtroom in the Dirksen Federal Building on Wednesday, weeks after they were indicted on charges on conspiracy and assault charges for allegedly impeding federal agents outside ICE’s Broadview processing facility.

“I have been charged with conspiracy for protesting with others,” Abughazaleh said following the hearing. “But expressing your First Amendment rights is not a conspiracy and dissent is not a crime.”

Charged along with Abughazaleh are Catherine “Cat” Sharp, who is running to represent the 12th District on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, 45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, Oak Park Village Board Trustee Brian Straw, Andre Martin and Joselyn Walsh.

Government prosecutors did not seek to detain any of the six defendants, who were each released on unsecured appearance bonds.

The charges stem from a confrontation just before 8 a.m. on Sept. 26 between protesters and federal agents outside ICE’s west suburban processing facility. The indictment against the group alleges they surrounded a government vehicle, “with the intent to hinder and impede” a federal agent from proceeding to the Broadview facility and “discharging the duties of his office.”

According to the indictment, the group broke one of the vehicle’s side mirrors and a rear windshield wiper, scratched it and etched the word “PIG” into the vehicle itself.

In a video posted to her social media accounts that day, Abughazaleh and more than a dozen other protestors can be seen trying to physically prevent an SUV from entering the facility by pushing back on the car while chanting “up, up with liberation and down, down with deportations.”

Some members of the crowd pound on the car, which is seen slowly moving forward.

In her post, Abughazaleh said that an ICE agent “tried to run dozens of protesters over with an SUV as we walked on a public crosswalk,” adding that the agent “kept driving for about a full football field until ICE barraged us with pepper balls.”

Sharp, in a social media post Wednesday, called the charges against the group "ludicrous."

Straw, through his attorney Chris Parente, objected to a condition of pretrial release requiring that he turn over his passport. Parente said there was no reason for his client to turn that passport over, arguing that Straw was only at Broadview to protest ICE’s demanding of identifying documents from residents based on their skin color.

After U.S. District Judge Heather McShain granted that request, government prosecutors decided against requiring any of the defendants to turn their passports over.

Abughazaleh’s attorney Josh Herman claimed after the hearing the charges filed against his client are intended to “demonize those who dissent.” He called the charges “absurd,” for alleging the six were part of a joint conspiracy simply because they were protesting side-by-side.

“Kat and the others charged with her in this fake conspiracy are bearing the brunt of this administration’s cruel tactics of retaliation against those who dare to speak up.” he said.

The six defendants are due back in court for a hearing Dec. 4.

Heather Cherone contributed to this report.

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