Monday afternoon the fence at the Broadview ICE facility stood tall. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Night moves

This week, I returned to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. My last visit was on Friday, September 19, when ICE showered protesters and media with a barrage of pepper bullets and teargas. A few days later, Homeland Security erected an 8-foot metal fence to block protesters (and U.S. congress members) from accessing the facility.

On Monday, I lucked into a press conference held by Illinois’ House Speaker Chris Welch and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson. I was running errands and, on a whim, drove to Broadview to see if court-ordered fence removal had begun at the ICE facility. Lo and behold, a press conference would soon begin. The presser was attended by mayors of surrounding villages, clergy and community leaders and was covered by a sizeable contingent of media.

Tuesday, turned out to be memorable, too. That night, I was on scene when the infamous ICE fence was dismantled. The fence came down 40 minutes after my arrival. It was a surreal scene, hanging out with a smattering of media folks on a seasonable October evening, as local and state cops came and went, in various sized SUVs.

Take down the fence

On October 9, a federal judge ruled the Homeland Security fence illegally blocked access to the ICE facility in Broadview. The judge concurred with Broadview officials, who argued the fence was constructed without a permit and was a safety hazard that could inhibit first responders in an emergency. The judge ordered the fence to be removed, with a deadline of Tuesday, October 14, at 11:59pm. (The fence came down with over an hour to spare.)

The judge’s order is temporary and, according to reporting, expires at the end of next week. Expectedly, the federal government appealed the judge’s decision. In other words, unlike the Berlin wall, this fence story may not be over. It is unclear whether the removal is permanent or temporary. Regardless, Mayor Thompson deserves credit for not joining Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s game of lies-fueled hyperbole. Rightfully, the mayor claimed “victory” after the fence came down.

It’s a victory for Broadview, and a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of power.

Back to the start of the week, Monday’s press conference ran too long, with eight people giving speeches. However, Speaker Welch and Mayor Thompson were outstanding. (It’s not that the others were bad, it was just too much). After the speeches, we had less than 10 minutes for questions. During Q&A, I asked House Speaker Welch what the plan was if Homeland Security ignored the judge’s ruling and did not remove the fence. Welch said the state and village would return to court.

Tuesday, I reached out to Welch’s office with a follow-up question: Was it conceivable Broadview would have to forcibly remove the fence if Homeland Security ignored the court’s order? Still waiting to hear back from the speaker’s office on that question. For now, it’s a moot point as the fence was removed Tuesday night at 10:40pm.

The photos below capture this week’s whirlwind action, from Monday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon. There is also a 30-second video of my encounter with state police. Like a runner undertaking his final training sessions before a marathon, this week prepped me for the No Kings protests that will take place Saturday.

Monday

Game faces intact, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (L) and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson (2nd from L just behind Welch) stride purposefully to a press conference where they did not back down from Homeland Security or ICE. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Yours truly (under the red arrow in the red cap) at the Broadview press conference. (Photo credit ABC7-Chicago)

Tuesday

ICE rolled out their Bearcat paramilitary machine (in center of photo), an imposing menace that appears part tank, part Hummer. The show of force was unnecessary, considering there were only 15 members of the media and a handful of quiet protesters. Using the Bearcat, along with police SUVs, ICE attempted to block us from recording the fence coming down. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Two workers carry a fence panel as they near completing removing the fence. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine). In the video below - which for some reason I find humorous - Illinois State troopers approach as I record an intro prior to the fence coming down. Earlier in the day, the same troopers chatted with me and were OK with me being in the designated media area.

Wednesday

This family was devastated by their loved one being detained in the ICE facility (the building in the background on the right). The woman in white was nearly inconsolable. From what I could hear, the state police demonstrated compassion, as they did in a similar situation Tuesday afternoon. State Police are in a no-win situation. They receive little to no information from ICE and therefore cannot provide much assistance to family members.

ICE descends on a Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. Unwittingly, this is what many Latinos voted for. (Photo credit WGN-9)

Shocking yet not a surprise

An astounding 48% of Latinos voted for Trump. They voted for what is now happening in their communities. Trump made no secret he was going after Latinos. Not just hard criminals illegally in this country, but also undocumented workers who for decades have been productive, taxpaying contributors to American society. Even Latinos who are U.S. citizens have been hassled and kidnapped by ICE.

(In a troubling trend, Black folks have fallen prey to Trump’s lies, too. In 2016, Trump garnered 8% of the Black vote. In 2020, that number rose to 13%. In 2024, Trump won 20% of the Black vote. One in five Black voters in this country cannot recognize overt racism when it knocks on their door, sits on their lap, and steals their lunch money.)

Trump and his sycophants did not hide their intentions. And yet half of Latinos voted for Trump. Some were hoodwinked by his claims of Christianity. Some fooled by his faux machismo. Others voted for Trump because of a single issue - abortion - while disregarding the existential threat Republicans are to all people of color and to all women and to the LGBTQ community.

Yesterday, I became sad after witnessing the distraught family desperate for information regarding their loved one held captive by ICE. I perked up after remembering that I am smarter than at least 77 million Americans, those ignorant fools who voted for Trump.

Anyone dumb enough to vote for him is equally as responsible as Trump is, for what America has become. That also goes for the 3 million people who voted for independent or third-party candidates instead of electing Kamala Harris.

WARM-UP ACT