The Cost of Looking Away.
The walls are being put up around all of our freedom.
How can you not see what they are doing?
Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, under the cover of darkness, ICE erected a reinforced fence across the public street (1930 Beach Street, Broadview, IL) to create a barrier, limiting access to protestors, media, and the public who may wish to demonstrate in response to their activities involving the detention and removal of individuals from the greater Chicagoland area.
DHS Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the decision in a statement, telling ABC7 Chicago, “Today, DHS is extending fencing surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview Processing Center after rioters and sanctuary politicians obstructed law enforcement, threw tear gas cans, rocks, bottles, and fireworks, slashed tires of cars, blocked the entrance of the building, and trespassed on private property.”
On Tuesday night, the acting fire chief in Broadview stated that ICE had erected the fence without proper authorization on a village road, warning that it could block fire crews from reaching parts of the street in the event of an emergency.
At this point, the federal government and its occupying agencies are annexing public land without notifying the local government, in compliance with local ordinance. It seems that this administration tends to take and ask for permission later, if that ever comes.
Let’s be real…
They know what they are doing is illegal and frowned upon by the community they’re terrorizing. The most effective way to carry out unlawful orders is to do so discreetly, behind closed doors. It’s the same reason that when they leave their facility to head home and see their families, they remove their license plates and tint their car windows so they can remain anonymous. Similar to the Nuremberg trials (November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946), “just following orders” was not accepted as a valid defense. It wasn’t then, and it won’t be when justice is finally served. They know what they are doing wrong, but with an attorney general, Congress, and a Supreme Court that looks the other way, they seem to feel invincible; however, the pendulum always swings back. It may not be tomorrow or next year, but it will.
“The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated.”
— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Opening Statement before the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg, November 21, 1945
I need you to study these two photographs; they are of two different individuals who were shot with projectiles from ICE SRT agents. These are people who are exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and to speak up against an authoritarian government that is overstepping its power by indiscriminately injuring people who dissent against the regime.
I myself had to invest in a military grade gas mask for my own safety after being exposed to chemical agents that ICE SRT agents shot at peaceful protestors. They will arbitrarily harm anyone they see fit without fear of repercussions. My question is, where is accountability from State government officials? Right now, we are on the front line, and we feel very much neglected by the very government that is supposed to protect us.
The honest truth is that I don’t know what to say or do to make people genuinely care about what’s happening to their neighbors. I can show photographs, write essays, and speak from my lived experience, but sometimes it feels like people have built walls around their empathy. It’s as if we’ve become so numb to injustice that even when harm is happening just down the street, many choose to look the other way. That silence doesn’t come from ignorance alone—it’s also a choice, and that choice allows cruelty to continue unchecked.
What worries me is that we’ve mistaken comfort for safety. Too many people only move when their own lives are disrupted, not when their communities cry out for help. But injustice doesn’t stay contained. It spreads, it grows, and eventually it reaches every doorstep. If we can’t care for our neighbors now, if we can’t stand up when we see them being harmed, then we’re complicit in building a world where none of us can rely on each other. Real change starts with breaking through indifference and remembering that humanity means showing up, even when it’s not convenient.
Use your voice while you still have one. This is a stark warning.
A Glimmer of Hope Amid the Darkness
Even under a wave of fear that hangs over the community, there are still spaces where culture is celebrated with pride and resilience. The weight of uncertainty is present, but it does not erase the strength of those who gather to honor their heritage and remind one another that joy itself can be a form of resistance.
That spirit was alive at the 54th annual Mexican Independence Day celebration in Little Village, Chicago, on September 14, 2025. Despite the tension in the air, the streets filled with genuine smiles, music, and the vibrant colors of tradition. It was a reminder that even in difficult times, people find ways to come together, to celebrate, and to affirm who they are.
Let me conclude this article with this message: even when the darkness feels insufferable, just know that you are not alone. Each day, there is a community supporting you, even if it sometimes feels invisible; you’re not alone.
You should always feel free to celebrate your heritage and your family roots. All of us carry struggles that may be hidden, and at times it feels like no one is listening. But what I’ve witnessed in the resistance reminds me that people are paying attention, and they do care.
My hope is that more voices rise up now, because silence only deepens the harm. A community is only as strong as the way it treats its most vulnerable, and right now this country is failing that test.
