Documenting U.S. State Violence on Citizens Exercising Constitutional Rights.

Broadview, IL September 26 - 27, 2025.

Sep 28, 2025

A medic sprays water on a press helmet that has been dosed with chemical irritants.

48 hours of hell in Broadview, IL.

Before you read this article, please be aware that on September 26 and September 27, 2025, ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies attacked peaceful protestors, journalists, media, NLG (National Lawyers Guild), and civilian medics outside of the detention center in Broadview, IL. They acted without fear of any repercussions and hid their faces with masks to avoid being identified. We have crossed the Rubicon.

This article contains sensitive documentation that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

Please check out Rachel Cohen’s Substack, a political activist based out of Chicago who has helped immensely in helping me get my work out to the public. She supports independent journalists, and you should also check her Substack and Instagram.
Honoroble mentions: Andres Chaves & Wali Khan both made sure I was safe and we looked out for one another. Please check out their work on instagram.

Hi, everyone. My name is Adriano Kalin - I am the documentary social justice photographer who captured the photographs and wrote the article. Photographed by Andres Chavez

A man at dawn looks through the gate at the ICE detention center in front of 1930 Beach Street, Broadview, IL, 7:20 A.M (CT)

Day 1: September 26, 2025

It’s Friday, September 26, 2025, at 1930 Beach Street in Broadview, Illinois. ICE has illegally annexed a public road despite warnings from the fire department that it poses a serious risk to public safety. Protestors and media gather at the edge of the street near the fence, watching as atrocities unfold against detainees hidden away in a boarded-up facility.

There is an uneasy tension in the air. To stand so close to this site of trauma, to witness it through the lens of a camera, is to confront the reality of what is happening behind closed doors. Documenting it is both necessary and deeply unsettling.

Protestors “Jericho Walk” side to side, along with press spectating.

At the start of the day, protestors “Jericho Walked” from one edge of the sidewalk to the other, forming a spiritually grounded human barrier to slow the movement of ICE agents and vehicles carrying detainees into the premises adjacent to the detention center for about an hour and a half. As the morning progressed, more journalists, media, and protesters began to arrive.

8:00 a.m., unprovoked, ICE shoots tear gas at protesters.

However, around 9:00 to 9:30 a.m., ICE escalated the situation sharply. Agents began forcing protestors closer to the facility gate, where they stood ready to strike, armed with chemical weapons and flash bangs. The protestors were exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, yet they were met with aggression and intimidation.

No one was spared from the effects of the tear gas, pepper bullets, and rubber bullets. The wind carried the chemicals directly toward the protest, leaving federal agents untouched while demonstrators bore the full force of chemical irritants.

An ICE SRT agent on top of the detention center facility aims and shoots with projectiles at protestors who are behind the gate.

Official Statement from the NLG

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is a progressive bar association that provides legal support for movements fighting for human rights and social justice. During protests, they often deploy legal observers in bright green hats to monitor police activity and document potential rights violations. They also connect demonstrators with legal aid, ensuring that those arrested or targeted have access to representation and support.

NLG (National Lawyers Guild) is taking notes from protestors as chaos ensues.

Screenshot of official statement by @NGLChicago on Instagram in support of protestors. 1/3

Screenshot of official statement for @NGLChicago on Instagram in support of protestors. 2/3

Screenshot of official statement from @NLGChicago on Instagram in support of protestors. 3/3

Photos and videos captured several hours of chaos as ICE terrorized protestors and members of the media.

A map I created to show the location. Green = Broadview Police watching, Blue = Protestors, Yellow = ICE, & Red = Conflict zone where chemical agents and projectiles were shot at unarmed protestors. September 26, 2025.

Protestors march through the tear gas while being shot at.

Protestor holds up a sign: Hands off Chicago

The full view of the road where ICE was targeting protesters, journalists, and medics with chemical agents.

Tear gas warps around the building of an adjacent business.

Peaceful protestors practicing their constitutional rights.

Wali, a fellow photographer, is trying to get the chemical irritants out of his eye.

From left to right, sponge grenades, rubber bullets, and pepper bullets were shot at protestors, medics, and media.

Pepper bullet residue combusts on the side of a window.

Wali, a fellow photographer, is getting treated by a medic with saline & water.

The window of a building was pelted with white residue from pepper bullets.

ICE officers open the gate to attack protesters.

An ICE SRT agent with a weapon shoots into the crowd outside the facility.

A man struggles to breathe and is being treated by a civilian medic.

One thing I want to make abundantly clear is that during hours of chaos, the Broadview police stood by and watched. We are told they are here to protect and serve, yet as the Broadview community had its rights violated, they did nothing. ICE agents were behind closed doors with a sniper posted on the roof, periodically firing at protestors who posed no threat, and the Broadview police witnessed from a distance, but took no action to intervene.
The people were abandoned, full stop. In the photo below, you can see officers at the intersection merely spectating while civilians and volunteer medics rushed to help protestors flush their eyes with water and saline.

Broadview police look on at the protestors being attacked indiscriminately by ICE. They did not provide any medical treatment to the protesters. They simply watched.

A medic was hit with rubber bullets in the left leg.

Day 2: September 27, 2025

The powder keg has officially been lit as Trump makes a post on his Truth Social platform, fanning the flames of executive power to threaten the very civilians he is sworn to protect, screenshot below.

At this point, the federal government is blatantly refusing to cooperate with local ordinances.

With the realization that the fuse had been lit, Broadview Mayor Katrina R. Thompson issued a statement to residents. The statement, available as a scanned PDF on the official Broadview website, addresses the unfolding events in the community. Official Statement

When protestors and media arrived outside the Federal ICE Detention Center in Broadview, IL, it was already clear that it was a high-risk situation. Some attendees on September 26 decided not to return on September 27 due to the increased risk after Trump’s post on Truth Social. To be clear, this elevated risk was entirely due to anticipated action by ICE agents and not due to plans or intent to escalate on the part of the protesters or the media. This was demonstrated throughout the night, particularly when ICE agents threw chemical agents into a food tent and a medic tent set up by protestors.

I created a second map of the area. Yellow = ICE, Blue = Protestors, Red = Conflict Zone

ICE performs a “perp walk” in front of the ICE detention facility as onlookers witness in horror.

ICE agents open the fence and stand idle, hoping for an escalation.

Protestors are voicing their concerns over authorities infringing on the civil rights of their neighbors.

ICE agents march by looking to intimidate protesters.

ICE agents stand in the public road, blocking access to the protestors.

A man practicing his First Amendment right in front of ICE agents.

NLG observer getting her view obstructed by flashlights by ICE.

Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef speaking to the crowd of protestors.

A man raises his hands in fear of retaliation from ICE to show he was not a threat.

ICE chaotically shot off rubber bullets, tear gas, smoke grenades, and other chemical agents into the crowd to disperse them from Beach Street (a public road).

A silhouette of a person walks by waving a makeshift fan to ward off tear gas.

A crew member from mainstream media looks on in disbelief.

A chemical weapon engulfs the grass in fire, smoke, and tear gas.

I understand the tension and heaviness of this moment. Independent journalists are putting their lives on the line to ensure you see what is happening across the United States and the world. This work is not easy, but it must be witnessed. Only by observing and educating ourselves can we confront the atrocities being carried out against both law-abiding citizens and undocumented immigrants in this country.

I also want to acknowledge that while I appreciate our governor in Illinois (J.B. Pritzker), I believe he has not done enough to protect his constituents. This was not subtle — there were clear warnings on the ground that this escalation was coming. Where was the attorney general of Illinois? Where was the leadership our community needed? The people were abandoned.

Norman Rockwell - *The Problem We All Live With -* 1964

When I first saw the painting of Ruby Bridges as a teenager, I believed federal agents represented a higher standard of integrity than state or local police forces. But in one full sweeping motion, the Trump administration has callously twisted the federal government into a personal bodyguard and weapon.

Art has always been a catalyst for change. Paintings and photography work in tandem to create a discourse that society cannot ignore.

Over the past 48 hours, one word comes to mind: stress. We are living in a frightening time when journalists can be targeted or even abducted by the government for simply documenting what is happening on the ground. In an era of AI and constant surveillance, speaking about what you witness can feel overwhelming, but it has never been more urgent.

As a disabled photographer, my back aches, my head throbs, and my hands sweat with anxiety, yet I know this is bigger than me. I document so that future generations might understand what America looked like in the early 21st century and, hopefully, build a better life from those lessons. It is imperative that, as a society, we confront our mistakes, challenge our one-sided views, and learn to meet one another with honesty and compassion. Still, I will never treat racism as an “opinion” to be debated — it is wrong, and it must be rejected.

Stay safe, friends.