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When I profiled Kat Abugazaleh for GQ in April, she was fresh off launching a long-shot congressional campaign in Chicago, built on a simple rallying cry: What if Democrats didn’t suck? The 26-year-old TikTok star–turned–candidate had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in her first week, positioned herself as a voice for a generation disillusioned by party politics, and seemed intent on jolting her party out of complacency. Seven months later, Abugazaleh has generated a new round of headlines for a very different reason. The activist and candidate was federally indicted in late October, accused of inciting unrest during immigration protests in Chicago. Video footage shows her and several others crowded in front of an SUV as it drove toward the immigration facility. She faces up to 15 years in federal prison. The charges came just weeks after a video showing an ICE agent shoving Abugazaleh to the ground went viral, racking up millions of views and intensifying the scrutiny of ICE as it has vastly expanded enforcement in President Trump’s second term. The reversal was striking: the woman inspiring sympathy and outrage for her treatment in that shocking footage recast by the government as a felon. (When reached for comment, ICE referred me to the FBI; the FBI’s Chicago bureau then referred me to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to an email.) Abughazaleh isn’t the only one facing charges. Five others who are active in Chicago’s political organizing circles have also been indicted. (One has pleaded not guilty, and others have said through their lawyers that the charges are “baseless” and “ludicrous.”) The move marks an extraordinary—and possibly unprecedented—escalation in the federal government targeting its critics. Abugazaleh calls it a political prosecution, an effort to silence dissent—and that she’s never been clearer about why she’s running. GQ: This must be pretty terrifying for you. How are you feeling? Kat Abugazaleh: It’s more surreal than anything to see on the indictment “The United States of America vs. Katherine Marie Abugazaleh.” My full government name. It sounds like my mom's telling me I'm in trouble. It’s not surprising, though. I figured it would happen one day, I just didn’t expect it to be right now, or maybe not even me specifically. The benefit is I know what to expect from the right, but that also contributes to some dread. Is this actually what you expected? I didn’t expect it to be so blatantly a political prosecution and such a blatant attack on free speech. I tend to underestimate the lengths these people are willing to go, but overestimate their competence. They even misspelled my name twice in the indictment. If you’re going to spell it wrong, at least be consistent. You’re the federal government—what are you doing? What does this indictment say about how the federal government is treating activism and dissent right now? This is yet another example of [the Trump administration] attacking their most vocal critics. They thought they could make Chicago surrender with a terror campaign—tear-gassing neighborhoods, going into businesses, rappelling into residences. It didn’t work. It made us more defiant. So now they’re trying to use the full force of the federal legal system to intimidate us. It’s not going to work either. That word—defiant—feels so tied to Chicago. It comes up a lot. It’s the reason people move here. To be here now, to be part of the strongest opposition to the Trump administration, building community with so many people. It’s powerful. How has the political landscape changed since we last spoke in the spring? This administration has gone forward with fascist initiatives faster than any of us expected. Even for those of us who were prepared, it’s been staggering. The complete inhumanity of how this administration has functioned—their willingness to harm others, their desire to make this a country for the richest and the whitest—it’s far more blatant than I could have ever imagined. What do people outside Chicago need to understand about what’s happening on the ground right now? It’s horrific. People were shocked by that video of me being thrown because it’s shocking to see a federal agent throw a white—or white-presenting—woman to the ground. But the reason we were protesting, the reason we’re willing to stand there and get hurt, is because immigrant communities are going through so much worse than anything we’ve been subjected to. That includes a federal indictment. That’s why we won’t stop speaking out. This is scary, but defiance is what will push us through. Where do you think this is all headed over the next year? It’ll probably be worse than I expect, but I think this administration will face a lot more backlash than it expects. So many political movements have been galvanized by the prosecution of their leaders. Have you thought about how to leverage this moment? I’m really aware that this case isn’t just about me. Whatever the decision is will affect everyone’s First Amendment rights. Freedom to protest, to speak, to associate. I’m ready for this because I understand the right in a way many of our leaders don’t. I’m ready to stand up and fight these sharks. If they’re trying to intimidate us, they picked the wrong girl to indict.
