[PRESS RELEASE — Provided by Bushra Amiwala for Congress]
Skokie, Ill. — As Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino faces a federal restraining order requiring daily court appearances and reporting on all use-of-force incidents, federal prosecutors have indicted six civilians for protesting outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois.
The defendants, charged with impeding federal agents, include Michael Rabbitt, Andre Martin, Catherine Sharp, Kat Abughazaleh and Joselyn Walsh — all candidates for office, campaign workers or volunteers.
Congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala released the following statement:
“The only people engaged in violent or dangerous behavior at Broadview have been ICE and Border Patrol agents. A federal court recently issued a restraining order against Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, an extraordinary step that requires him to appear before a judge every day and submit detailed reports on all use-of-force incidents. That kind of oversight exists because the courts have already found serious cause for concern about the conduct of federal agents.”
“Now, just as that judicial crackdown begins, the Department of Justice has chosen to indict civilians who protested those same abuses. The timing is impossible to ignore. These charges are retaliatory—an effort to intimidate communities, deflect accountability, and cover for the government’s own misconduct. It’s a dangerous abuse of power that weaponizes the Justice Department against ordinary people.”
“I was in Broadview and saw everyday people exercising their First Amendment rights, standing together, peacefully demanding dignity and justice. That’s what democracy looks like. Our government should focus not on silencing dissent, but on ending the inhumanity occurring daily inside Broadview, in our communities and across our entire immigration system. Compassion is not a crime, it’s what makes our nation worth believing in.”
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