Kat Abughazaleh, others indicted over Broadview ICE protest

A federal grand jury filed an 11‑page indictment on Oct. 23 charging six protesters — including Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and local Democrats Catherine “Cat” Sharp, Michael Rabbitt and Brian Straw — with conspiring to impede and injure a federal ICE officer during a late‑September protest outside the Broadview, Ill., ICE facility. The indictment alleges the group banged on and scratched the officer’s vehicle (etching “PIG”), broke a side mirror and wiper, and crowded and pushed the vehicle so it was forced to drive at an extremely slow rate to avoid injuring protesters. None of the accused were arrested; court filings say they will self‑surrender on Nov. 5. They face charges of interfering with a federal officer and conspiring to prevent federal duties by force or intimidation. Abughazaleh and the co‑defendants have denounced the prosecution as political persecution and say the charges seek to criminalize protected protest activity. The case will proceed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.