Abughazaleh, candidate for 9th District seat, indicted over ICE protest

A prominent Democratic candidate for a largely suburban Congressional seat has been indicted in connection with the ongoing protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.

Kat Abughazaleh “forcibly impeded, intimidated, and interfered with an officer of the United States,” on Sept. 26, according to the indictment handed up last week in federal court.

Abughazaleh, 26, of Chicago, is seeking the 9th District congressional seat long held by the retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Stretching diagonally from Chicago’s North Side through parts of the Northwest suburbs and west to Cary, the 9th District includes portions of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

In a statement following the unsealing of the indictment Wednesday, Abughazaleh called the charges a “political prosecution and a gross attempt at silencing dissent.”

“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,” she continued. “Simply because we had the gall to say masked men abducting our neighbors and terrorizing our community cannot be the new normal.”

In a statement Wednesday, Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said federal officials must be allowed to perform their duties without being intimidated or threatened.

“As we have warned repeatedly, we will seek to hold accountable those who cross the line from peaceful protests to unlawful actions or conspiracies that interrupt, hinder, or impede the due administration of Justice,” he said. “The rule of law must always be upheld.”

Abughazaleh is one of six defendants listed in the indictment, along with Michael Rabbit, 62, of Chicago; Andre Martin, 27, of Providence, Rhode Island; Catherine Sharp, 29, of Chicago; Brian Straw, 38, of Oak Park; and Joselyn Walsh, 31, of Chicago.

Sharp is running for the Cook County Board’s 12th District seat, which represents parts of Chicago. Straw is an Oak Park village trustee.

The 11-page indictment alleges they conspired to prevent an unnamed federal law enforcement officer, listed as “Agent A,” from conducting his duties as he arrived at the Broadview facility in a vehicle at about 7:45 a.m. Sept. 26.

The indictment states the defendants surrounded the vehicle, banged on it aggressively, scratched “PIG” into the paint and broke a sideview mirror and windshield wiper.

Abughazaleh specifically put her hands on the vehicle’s hood while remaining directly in its path, preventing Agent A from getting into the facility, the indictment alleges.

Abughazaleh said Wednesday she will fight the charges.

“The Trump administration wants you to be afraid of speaking out against it and its anti-democratic power grabs,” she said. “And there are plenty of reasons to be afraid right now, but we also must overcome that fear. This case targets our rights to protest, speak freely, and associate with anyone who disagrees with this government.”

She and the other defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court in Chicago on Wednesday, Nov. 5, for an arraignment, court records indicate.

Abughazaleh is part of a crowded field of Democrats seeking the party’s nomination next year for Schakowsky’s seat. The former journalist and social media influencer is also the top fundraiser, reporting more than $1.2 million in donations in recent campaign disclosure filings.

The contest also includes: Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss; state Sens. Laura Fine of Glenview and Mike Simmons of Chicago; Skokie resident Bushra Amiwala; Evanston residents Patricia A. Brown, Bethany Johnson, Jeff Cohen and Nick Pyati; Chicagoans Kat Abughazaleh, Bruce Leon, Justin Ford and Sam Polan; and Wilmette resident Phil Andrew.

Biss and Fine issued statements Wednesday in support of Abughazaleh.

“I am disgusted by the partisan and unethical indictments of Kat Abughazaleh and five others at the direction of Donald Trump’s weaponized Justice Department,” Fine said.

“As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors,” said Biss.