Chicago, Illinois — Federal prosecutors have dropped all remaining criminal charges against four protesters accused of obstructing federal officers during demonstrations outside an immigration detention facility near Chicago, marking another legal setback tied to Trump-era immigration enforcement cases.
The protesters, including former Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, were initially indicted after a September protest outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, Illinois. Prosecutors alleged demonstrators surrounded a federal vehicle, damaged property, and interfered with immigration enforcement operations during a protest connected to the administration’s immigration crackdown.
The case began unraveling earlier this year after questions emerged regarding redactions made to grand jury transcripts. U.S. District Judge April Perry sharply criticized prosecutors during a Thursday hearing, saying she had never seen “types of prosecutorial behavior” like what appeared in the transcripts and that “trust has been broken.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced prosecutors would dismiss the remaining charges with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. While Boutros called some protest actions “unacceptable,” he acknowledged concerns surrounding how the case was handled.
Defense attorneys argued the protesters were exercising First Amendment rights tied to free speech and protest activity. The case had become a broader flashpoint in debates over immigration enforcement, protest rights, and federal prosecutorial conduct during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
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