BROADVIEW, Ill. – An attorney said he is asking a court to block the Village of Broadview’s restrictions on protesting hours at the ICE processing facility that’s been the site for at times violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters.
What we know:
Robert Held, who described himself as an attorney and community activist, said in a press release on Tuesday that he filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in federal court to stop the enforcement of the village’s “protest curfew.”
The curfew limits demonstrations near the ICE facility to the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., which Held said effectively bans early morning and evening protests.
BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 31: Local police officers confront a demonstrator after repeatedly asking him not to stand on the concrete barriers that mark the “free speech zone” for protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing
He argued the curfew violates the First Amendment.
“This curfew flips the First Amendment on its head,” said Adele Nicholas, an attorney for Held in a statement. “The Village justifies the law by pointing to escalating violence by ICE officers at the facility, but banning speech is never a permissible response to government misconduct.”
Held added, “The right to protest loses its power if the government controls when we can speak. I am fighting for everyone’s right to assemble and be heard when it matters most.”