CHICAGO (AP) — A boarded-up building in a small Chicago suburb has become the front line of a federal immigration crackdown, with growing accusations that the facility meant to process arrestees is a de facto detention center plagued by inhumane conditions.
The Trump administration has targeted the Chicago area for its latest immigration enforcement surge, touting hundreds of arrests in the past three weeks.
Relatives, lawyers, and activists are concerned by immigrants’ accounts of what happens once they are inside the brick building in Broadview. Once routine protests outside the building have grown in recent weeks, with federal agents using chemical agents and physical force to push protesters back.
Advocates say up to 200 people are being held there at a time, with some held for up to five days in a space that doesn’t have showers or a cafeteria. Immigrants report they’re being given little food, water, and limited access to medication. Communication, including with attorneys, is restricted.
“It's a black hole," said Erendira Rendón of The Resurrection Project, which has received requests for legal help from nearly 250 arrested immigrants. “You can’t call the center. You can’t talk to anybody.”
Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to numerous requests about the center and have denied tour requests. While the agency publishes how many people are in detention centers, the Broadview processing center isn’t listed.
Broadview, home to about 8,000 people, has been the site of the federal immigration processing center for decades. However, questions surrounding its use have grown since the Trump administration returned to the White House promising mass deportations.
Illinois has strict sanctuary laws that broadly bar cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents, including for detention. State officials allege that immigrants are being held at the processing center for days, often sleeping on floors, including in bathrooms.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia described the facility as potentially functioning as a detention center rather than a processing center.
Brenda Perez shared heartbreaking details of her husband’s experience after his arrest this month by ICE agents, revealing he went 24 hours without food. Other detainees have echoed his experience, describing crowded conditions, inadequate food and water, and light pollution disrupting sleep. Advocacy groups are voicing concerns that the conditions are being intentionally made unbearable to push detainees to self-deport.
The facility in Broadview has exacerbated tensions in the community, leading to increased police presence to manage protests. Local village leaders are expressing concerns over the fear that the center instills in residents, as the federal Department of Homeland Security defends its aggressive tactics in response to the protests.
As the Mexican consulate steps in to assist detainees, Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil remarked on the unprecedented fear among Mexican nationals due to the current environment, stating that the suffering is considerable.
The Trump administration has targeted the Chicago area for its latest immigration enforcement surge, touting hundreds of arrests in the past three weeks.
Relatives, lawyers, and activists are concerned by immigrants’ accounts of what happens once they are inside the brick building in Broadview. Once routine protests outside the building have grown in recent weeks, with federal agents using chemical agents and physical force to push protesters back.
Advocates say up to 200 people are being held there at a time, with some held for up to five days in a space that doesn’t have showers or a cafeteria. Immigrants report they’re being given little food, water, and limited access to medication. Communication, including with attorneys, is restricted.
“It's a black hole," said Erendira Rendón of The Resurrection Project, which has received requests for legal help from nearly 250 arrested immigrants. “You can’t call the center. You can’t talk to anybody.”
Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to numerous requests about the center and have denied tour requests. While the agency publishes how many people are in detention centers, the Broadview processing center isn’t listed.
Broadview, home to about 8,000 people, has been the site of the federal immigration processing center for decades. However, questions surrounding its use have grown since the Trump administration returned to the White House promising mass deportations.
Illinois has strict sanctuary laws that broadly bar cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents, including for detention. State officials allege that immigrants are being held at the processing center for days, often sleeping on floors, including in bathrooms.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia described the facility as potentially functioning as a detention center rather than a processing center.
Brenda Perez shared heartbreaking details of her husband’s experience after his arrest this month by ICE agents, revealing he went 24 hours without food. Other detainees have echoed his experience, describing crowded conditions, inadequate food and water, and light pollution disrupting sleep. Advocacy groups are voicing concerns that the conditions are being intentionally made unbearable to push detainees to self-deport.
The facility in Broadview has exacerbated tensions in the community, leading to increased police presence to manage protests. Local village leaders are expressing concerns over the fear that the center instills in residents, as the federal Department of Homeland Security defends its aggressive tactics in response to the protests.
As the Mexican consulate steps in to assist detainees, Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil remarked on the unprecedented fear among Mexican nationals due to the current environment, stating that the suffering is considerable.
