Copyright NBC 5 Chicago
A federal grand jury has charged 9th district Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh for allegedly blocking vehicles outside of the Broadview immigration processing facility. According to the indictment, Abughazaleh and five other individuals allegedly “forcibly impeded, intimidated and interfered with an officer of the United States” during a protest on September 26 outside of the facility. The indictment alleges that Abughazaleh and five other individuals surrounded a government vehicle as it attempted to enter the Broadview facility on the morning of September 26. They allegedly banged on the vehicle’s sides and windows, crowded together and pushed against the vehicle to impede its movement, according to prosecutors. They’re accused of scratching the word “Pig” into the paint of the car, and broke one of its side mirrors. If convicted, Abughazaleh could face a fine or up to one year in prison, according to prosecutors. Abughazaleh issued a statement via a fundraising email for her Congressional campaign. Chicago Politics "This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt at silencing dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment,” she says. “Here's the truth: As I and others exercised our First Amendment rights, ICE has hit, dragged, thrown, shot with pepper balls, and teargassed hundreds of protesters, myself included. This case is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up. Because Chicago doesn’t back down from bullies in masks who teargas our neighborhoods, this administration is resorting to weaponizing the federal legal system to scare us into silence.” NBC Chicago has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the indictment. State Senator Laura Fine, who is also running for Congress in the 9th district, issued a statement calling the indictments “partisan and unethical.” "I am disgusted by the partisan and unethical indictments of Kat Abugazelah and five others at the direction of Donald Trump’s weaponized Justice Department,” she said. “This unjust prosecution is an attempt to intimidate and silence those who stand up for their rights and beliefs. It’s an attack on anyone sickened by masked men roaming our streets and shoving our neighbors into unmarked cars. It’s a threat to everyone willing to call this what it is: creeping tyranny.” Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, another Democratic candidate in the race, also criticized the prosecution. “The only people engaged in violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview have been ICE,” he said. “As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors. I hope these frivolous charges are dropped immediately and Trump begins to listen to the vast majority of Americans who oppose his terror campaign.”
