Broadview mayor, police and fire chiefs accuse ICE of deploying tear gas and blocking emergency access; Berwyn passed resolution to unmask agents

Katrina Thompson, mayor of the village of Broadview, said at a news conference that the village’s residents and first responders have been endangered by the recent deployment of tear gas, pepper spray, mace and rubber bullets near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Broadview. “ICE has to stop unprovoked chemical arms attacks on peaceful protesters and on journalists,” Thompson said.

Thompson and Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said the village’s police and fire personnel have been exposed repeatedly and that the Broadview Police Department has opened three separate criminal investigations into ICE activities since what officials described as the regional “Midway Blitz.” “Currently, the Broadview Police Department has launched 3 separate criminal investigations into ICE activities,” Mills said, and he said the department has requested “the full cooperation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security” in those inquiries.

Acting Broadview Fire Chief Matt Martin told reporters that ICE constructed a fence on Beach Street on Sept. 23 without a permit and that the barrier is blocking fire-department access to nearby businesses. “This fence is currently blocking access for the Broadview Fire Department to businesses on that road,” Martin said, and he said the village’s formal demand that DHS remove the fence has not received an official response.

The officials disputed recent federal public statements about local requests for assistance. Thompson and Mills said Broadview’s logs show a single Sept. 19 call from the facility reporting objects on nearby railroad tracks and that village staff contacted Harbor Belt Railroad to alert its security. The transcript records that ICE denied the account that agents told Broadview officers they would create a “**** show.” Thompson and Mills said officers told them ICE agents had made that remark in person.

Reporters pressed officials about evidence and safety. Mills said he sent certified mail and email to the facility’s leadership and that he received a response saying DHS would cooperate; he also said the department is reviewing video related to a reported pedestrian strike and that officers were forced to decontaminate and go out of service after gas exposures. “My officers were literally choking,” Mills said, describing how officers were affected while attempting to document events and protect peaceful demonstrators.

Mayor Lavero of Berwyn, standing with Broadview leaders, framed the issue as a human-rights matter and said the City of Berwyn passed a resolution, 8–0, requesting that federal legislators require ICE agents to be identifiable when encountered by local law enforcement; she said she will present the resolution to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6.

Officials said Broadview lacks the authority to close a federal facility, but Thompson said the village is exploring legal options and expected to make an announcement within 24–48 hours about next steps, including consulting legal counsel about injunctions. Mills repeatedly thanked mutual-aid partners — including the Illinois State Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office — and described use of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) and radio interoperability to request backup.

Votes at a glance: The City of Berwyn passed a resolution (8–0) asking federal legislators to require ICE agents to be identifiable to local police; the resolution will be presented in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6.

The press conference concluded with officials saying investigations will continue and that they expect cooperation from DHS; no enforcement action against the federal facility was announced at the briefing.