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Welcome to The Logoff: A federal grand jury in Illinois has indicted six folks, together with a Democratic congressional candidate, for collaborating in a September protest outdoors an ICE facility close to Chicago.
What occurred? The indictment fees six folks, together with two native elected officers and Kat Abughazaleh, a Democrat working for Congress on Chicago’s North Shore, with conspiring to intervene with and forcibly impeding a federal agent outdoors of an ICE facility within the Chicago suburb of Broadview.
The indictment alleges that, amongst different actions, the folks charged “bodily hindered and impeded Agent A and the Authorities Automobile such that Agent A was pressured to drive at a particularly gradual charge of pace to keep away from injuring any of the conspirators.” Video of the confrontation posted to X by Abughazaleh exhibits protesters chanting and trying to dam the automotive.
Protests in opposition to the crackdown have usually centered on the Broadview ICE facility, and peaceable protesters — together with Abughazaleh and members of the clergy — have repeatedly been assaulted and tear-gassed by federal brokers. Such techniques have been below rising authorized scrutiny; this week, a Border Patrol official was advised to seem in court docket every day as a decide scrutinizes use of power by brokers.
Why does this matter? This indictment is the newest in an alarming pattern of protesters, together with elected officers, being focused for prosecution by the Trump administration — on the similar time that federal immigration brokers have functionally been positioned above the legislation.
In Could, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outdoors an ICE facility, and Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was later charged with forcibly impeding an officer; my colleague Ian Millhiser described the McIver indictment as presumably “probably the most anti-democratic factor [Trump has] finished since January 6.”
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Hello readers, bear with me right here: This can be a much less cheerful closing observe than we frequently attempt for within the Logoff, however it’s essential. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica this week, killing at the very least seven and doing billions of {dollars} in harm. It’s one of many strongest storms ever recorded, and restoration can be an extended, troublesome course of.
In the event you really feel the urge to assist, my colleague Sara Herschander wrote a pointy, helpful piece about methods to do probably the most good. She’s collected a listing of reliable, efficient organizations to help that can assist Jamaica, Haiti, and different impacted international locations get well now and within the months and years to return. You’ll find it right here. Thanks for studying, have an amazing night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
