With the Texas National Guard training nearly 50 miles away, Broadview police maintained control of protesters outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center Wednesday.
Local authorities ordered about two dozen protesters to leave the village’s “free speech zone” — an area specifically designated for demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement mission — about 20 minutes after the city’s 6 p.m. curfew passed.
As the police counted down the time left to depart, officers threatened citations and arrests. The demonstrators begrudgingly retreated to the street corner.
They congregated again there for several minutes before police again ordered them to move.
“I’ll leave when you answer this question: Do we have rights?” a protester told a Broadview officer who was trying to usher them away.
The officer unsheathed a pair of pink handcuffs from his right back pocket.
“Do you want to be the first one?” he replied.
The protester walked away. The crowd dissipated as night fell.
The uneventful protest came as Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said she expected the Texas National Guard to be in town soon, despite the long-standing objections of state and local officials.
“The president is blabbing incoherently on national TV about an ‘insurrection’ and the need for ‘protection’ of ICE agents,” she said in a statement. “What nonsense. This is about a military occupation of Broadview. This is about intimidation.”
Members of the Texas National Guard at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Oct. 8, 2025,. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Members of the Texas National Guard at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Oct. 8, 2025,. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The troops arrived earlier this week after being federalized by President Donald Trump following a series of intense confrontations between protesters and federal immigration officers taking part in “Operation Midway Blitz.” The majority of clashes have occurred in Broadview, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a processing center in the west suburb. Dozens of protesters have been arrested there while trying to impede vehicles and federal agents coming in and out of the facility.
Texas soldiers spent the day drilling at their makeshift base in the far southwest suburbs. The troops could be seen carrying shields and lining up in formation at the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, the sprawling 3,600-acre property expected to house as many as 250 guard members in the coming weeks.
Their arrival has been met with criticism from several Will County officials. About 75 politicians and community leaders gathered in Joliet Wednesday to offer support to immigrant families and stand against ICE operations and the recent arrival of National Guard troops from Texas.
“When I heard the Texas National Guard was staging in Elwood, I felt what so many of us felt — anger, disbelief, heartbreak,” Will County Board member Destinee Ortiz, a Democrat, said during a news conference organized by the Will County Rapid Response Network. “We know what this means … we’ve seen what happens when our government treats families like threats instead of human beings.”
Ortiz this week introduced a resolution asking state and federal authorities to prohibit immigration enforcement activities in courthouses, schools and other community gathering areas. The proposed measure is aimed at reaffirming that “every person deserves dignity, fairness and safety” regardless of their birthplace or background, Ortiz said Wednesday.
Joliet Township Supervisor Cesar Guerrero said he has received calls on a daily basis from residents concerned for their safety.
“Everyday I get calls and messages from concerned neighbors wondering if it is safe to leave their home, if it is safe to go to work today, if it is safe to take their children to school,” he said. “And everyday, I am inspired by the courage and resilience of our community members who find new ways to support each other.”
He lauded Ivette Nunez, property manager at Azteca de Oro, a Joliet banquet facility. Nunez called Joliet police recently when she noticed ICE agents were using her parking lot as a staging area. Joliet police confirmed they responded to the call and asked immigration officials to leave the business’ parking lot.
“I just wanted the community to know we’re supporting our community,” said Nunez, who noted the property has no trespassing signs posted in the parking lot.
The Will County news conference comes just hours before the deadline for the federal government to respond to a lawsuit filed by the state to block the Trump administration from mobilizing National Guard troops here. In court documents filed Monday, the state argued “the American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor.”
A White House spokeswoman said Trump has used “his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets.”
Gov. JB Pritzker maintains that there is no emergency in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois that would warrant deployment of the National Guard and that Trump’s move to do so over his objections is unconstitutional.
With the state awaiting a ruling from a federal judge, possibly as soon as Thursday, on its request for a temporary order blocking Trump’s deployment of Texas and Illinois National Guard members in the Chicago area, Pritzker said the administration “has not communicated with our state in any way whatsoever about what their troop movements are going to be.”
“I can’t believe I have to say ‘troop movements’ in a city in the United States, but that is what we’re talking about,” he said.
Shortly before 8 p.m. in Broadview, a bright floodlight shined down on a lone state police cruiser parked outside the crowd control fence.
There wasn’t a protester in sight.
Originally Published: October 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM CDT