2:55Kat Abughazaleh, a candidate who announced her intention to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, moves campaign signs into her recently opened campaign headquarters in the Rogers Park vicinity on May 6, 2025.Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
A federal grand jury has brought charges against Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive House hopeful in Illinois, for allegedly committing assault and colluding to harm law enforcement personnel during a demonstration last month at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center situated near Chicago.
Abughazaleh, together with five others, face accusations of serious offenses stemming from their purported involvement in a confrontation with authorities that subsequently gained widespread attention on social media, occurring in front of the Broadview, Illinois, facility.
Abughazaleh, age 26, released a video on social media this Wednesday addressing the indictment, in which she asserted her lack of culpability.
"This politically driven prosecution represents a challenge to all of our fundamental First Amendment rights," Abughazaleh stated. "I am not retreating, and we are set to prevail."
The formal accusation states that Abughazaleh conspired with others to obstruct a law enforcement official from performing their duties on Sept. 26 by encircling the officer’s vehicle and striking it "forcefully" to prevent it from moving outside the staging area of the Broadview complex.
It further asserts that Abughazaleh impeded the officer when she became part of a group at the front of the vehicle and "propped her body and hands against the vehicle while standing directly in its path."
Kat Abughazaleh, who has announced a campaign for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, carries yard signs into her brand-new campaign office in the Rogers Park neighborhood on May 6, 2025.Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Others facing charges in the indictment encompass Catherine Sharp, who is campaigning for a position on the Cook County Board. Sharp conveyed her "conviction that a jury of my peers will recognize these charges for their true nature — yet another attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate individuals from engaging in protest and exercising their First Amendment freedoms."
Brian Straw, an aspirant for Oak Park Village trustee who was also charged, communicated that he will "contest these unfounded allegations."
"I participated in the demonstrations at the Broadview ICE detention center due to the circumstances faced by our immigrant neighbors: children restrained with zip-ties and placed into vans, mothers removed from vehicles en route to school, residents fearful of attending church or going to work," he mentioned in a public statement. "The Trump Justice Department's determination to seemingly single out public figures such as myself for opposing these inhumane policies will not dissuade me from honoring my oath of office."
The indictment was officially submitted on Oct. 23 before its public release on Wednesday. The court has scheduled an initial appearance and arraignment for Nov. 5.
The Department of Justice indicated that the defendants were "part of a group of individuals who surrounded a government vehicle with the intention of obstructing and impeding" the federal agent from driving to the Broadview ICE facility.
"The defendants, along with others, allegedly amassed in the front and on the sides of the government vehicle, positioned themselves in its path, struck the car and its windows, and exerted force against it to obstruct and prevent its movement," the DOJ stated in a press communication. "The conspirators damaged one of the vehicle's side mirrors and the rear windshield wiper and inscribed a disparaging remark onto the vehicle’s surface, as stated in the indictment."
The word "PIG" was inscribed on the vehicle, as per the indictment, which did not identify a specific individual allegedly responsible for the act.
"All federal officers must be able to fulfill their official responsibilities without being subjected to force, intimidation, or threats," stated Andrew Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "As we have repeatedly cautioned, we will seek to hold accountable those who transition from peaceful demonstrations to unlawful actions or conspiracies that disrupt, hinder, or impede the due administration of Justice."
Abughazaleh has shared numerous videos showcasing her participation in protests in front of the facility, including one from Sept. 19 that captured her being thrown to the ground by an ICE officer.
In another post from Sept. 26 — the date of the incident referenced in the indictment — she shared a video displaying a crowd in front of a vehicle and asserted that an "ICE agent attempted to run down numerous protesters with an SUV while we were walking on a public crosswalk."
"He continued driving for roughly the length of a football field before ICE bombarded us with pepper balls," she added.
The videos have triggered demands from right-wing figures, such as Laura Loomer, for the DOJ to apprehend Abughazaleh and other participants in the protests.
Abughazaleh is vying for Illinois' 9th Congressional District seat, which encompasses sections of Chicago. Rep. Janice Schakowsky, the current officeholder, has declared her intention not to seek reelection in 2026.
Abughazaleh, with a background in journalism, announced her candidacy for Congress in March, expressing that the Democratic Party requires a "revamping" and a "vision that surpasses the limitations we have been led to believe are possible."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
