Journalist turned Democratic candidate faces federal charges over anti-ICE protests in Chicago
US congressional candidate hit with federal charge over ICE protests
- A progressive Democratic candidate, Kat Abughazaleh, and five other people are facing federal charges stemming from protests outside an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) facility in Chicago.
- An indictment accuses them of conspiracy to impede or injure an ICE officer, claiming they banged “aggressively” on a federal agent's car and etched “PIG” on the vehicle.
- These charges, among the most severe yet against protesters under the Trump administration, carry potential prison sentences of up to six or eight years if convicted.
- Abughazaleh, who is running for a House seat in Illinois, has denounced the indictment as a “political prosecution” and an attempt to silence dissent.
- The charges follow weeks of demonstrations and a federal court order restricting officers' use of force against protesters in the Chicago area.