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					Justice Department Indicts Democratic Congressional Candidate Over ICE Protests
					The Department of Justice indicted Kat Abughazaleh, a Democratic congressional candidate in Illinois, for allegedly blocking vehicles during protests last month outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.
Five other individuals were also indicted under the same charge.
“I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice. This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win,” Abughazaleh said.
I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win. pic.twitter.com/szOSZa1h3z
— Kat Abughazaleh (@KatAbughazaleh) October 29, 2025
Chicago Sun-Times shared more:
Others facing the same charge in the 11-page indictment made public Wednesday are Catherine Sharp, who is running for a seat on the Cook County Board, and Michael Rabbitt, a 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson.
Also charged are Andre Martin, Brian Straw and Joselyn Walsh.
Arraignments have not been scheduled for any of the defendants. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge April Perry.
The indictment alleges that the six were among a group of people who surrounded a government vehicle near the Broadview facility Sept. 26 and set out to “hinder and impede” a federal agent from proceeding there and “discharging the duties of his office.”
It says they “banged aggressively” on the vehicle’s side and back windows, hood and other areas, “crowded together” in front and on the side of it and “pushed against the vehicle” and scratched it.
They also etched the word “PIG” on the vehicle and broke a side mirror and rear windshield wiper, according to the indictment.
The agent “was forced to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators,” the indictment states.
Abughazaleh is also accused of “bracing her body against the vehicle to hinder it,” WGN-TV noted.
NEWS: Federal prosecutors indict Kat Abughazaleh, congressional candidate, county board candidate Cat Sharp and Dem committeeman Michael Rabbitt over September Broadview protest pic.twitter.com/tJ6msMX2MO
— Gregory Royal Pratt (@royalpratt) October 29, 2025
The 26-year-old former journalist launched her campaign for Illinois’ 9th congressional district in March after Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced she would not seek re-election.
I'm Kat Abughazaleh and I'm running for Congress. pic.twitter.com/tEtaNcc5xL
— Kat Abughazaleh (@KatAbughazaleh) March 24, 2025
More from the Associated Press:
Abughazaleh at one point put her hands on the vehicle’s hood and braced her body against it while staying in its way, the indictment said. The agent was “forced to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators,” it said.
“As I and others have exercised our First Amendment rights, ICE has hit, dragged, thrown, shot with pepper balls, and tear gassed hundreds of protesters, simply because we had the gall to say that masked men coming into our communities, abducting our neighbors, and terrorizing us cannot be our new normal,” she said in the video.
As scary as all of this is, I have spent my career fighting America’s backslide into fascism,” she said. “I’m not gonna stop now, and I hope you won’t either.”