CHICAGO, IL — Immigrant rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday accusing U.S. immigration officials of violating detainees’ rights at the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility outside Chicago, according to The Guardian.
The suit, filed by the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center, alleges that ICE agents and other federal officers subjected detainees to “inhumane and torturous” treatment, denying them access to legal counsel, food, and medical care. Attorneys say agents coerced detainees into signing deportation paperwork they did not understand and prevented members of Congress, journalists, and clergy from entering the facility.
“This has become a black box where agents act with impunity,” said attorney Alexa Van Brunt, the lawsuit’s lead counsel. “Everyone, no matter their legal status, has the right to counsel and to humane treatment.”
The Broadview facility, which can hold up to 200 people at a time, has drawn mounting criticism over the past year. Relatives and lawyers describe it as a de facto detention center, not merely a processing site.
The lawsuit accuses ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security of violating detainees’ constitutional rights and seeks a court order to improve conditions. DHS dismissed the allegations, claiming detainees receive adequate meals, healthcare, and family contact.
A separate lawsuit also challenges federal agents’ use of tear gas during recent Broadview protests.
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