As a minister local to the Chicago area, I know I am not alone in my belief that what is happening at the Broadview Processing Center is an egregious abuse of power and a violation of human dignity. In the weeks before I was assaulted by ICE agents and Illinois State Police, many had gathered to protest outside the facility, and many of them were people of faith. In fact, the movement to shut down the facility has been happening for decades, and most of us were newcomers to the struggle.
I’m far from the only pastor to be assaulted by ICE. Rev. David Black was shot with a pepper ball gun in the face for daring to protest against this concentration camp that exists in our backyard, and other pastors have been thrown to the ground and struck for participating in protests.
Used as an immigration processing center since 2006, the facility right outside Chicago has become a flashpoint in recent months as the Trump administration has increased its immigration enforcement efforts. With the Trump administration’s full support, ICE agents regularly deploy tear gas in neighborhoods where people resist deportation efforts, assault protesters, and commit shocking acts of violence.
The facility holds those arrested by ICE for a short period of time before they are moved to other facilities in states like Kentucky or Michigan. Conditions inside the Broadview Processing Center can be best described as torturous: Detainees have reported receiving no food or one meal a day, being unable to speak with their families and legal counsel, and being denied medical treatment. No spiritual care is allowed in the facility; clergy members seeking to offer communion to those detained were turned away earlier this month.