CHICAGO — During the summer of 2025, the Trump Administration deployed federal ICE forces to cities across the United States with announced missions to deter crime and enforce immigration laws. These federal forces, however, have used violent force against the press, elected officials, religious leaders, and private individuals engaged in peaceful and protected activities. Now, members of the press and clergy leaders are taking the Trump Administration to court.
First Amendment rights at stake
A new lawsuit filed this morning argues that this wanton violence by the federal government is a blatant attempt to interfere with the most cherished and fundamental rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religious belief, and the right to peaceably assemble and express disagreement with the government.
“Never in modern times has the federal government undermined bedrock constitutional protections on this scale, or usurped states’ police power by directing federal agents to carry out an illegal mission against the people for the government’s own benefit,” the complaint states.
Today’s lawsuit is being brought by members of the press, as well as by individuals representing clergy and ordinary citizens who have chosen to speak in opposition to the Trump Administration’s policies, and who now come together to stand up for the First Amendment rights of all Americans.
Stephanie Lulay, Executive Editor and Co-Founder of Block Club Chicago, says her outlet has allocated a significant portion of its resources to covering DHS actions at the protests since September 19.
“During that time, at least four of our employees or freelancers have told me that they were hit with pepper balls and subjected to tear gas by federal agents at Broadview,” Ms. Lulay reports. “We intend to continue to report on the protests, but our ability to do so, to the standards that we hold ourselves to, continues to be impacted by our fears of violence and arrests of our employees and contractors.”
ICE tactics “create conflict and suppress people’s rights”
The Black Wall Street Times spoke with Daniel Massoglia, Attorney of First Defense Legal Aid. He stated the Trump Administration is using “indiscriminate violence intended to create conflict and suppress people’s rights.”
Massoglia elaborated, “people are scared to take their kids to school. People are scared to go get groceries. People who were peacefully demonstrating outside the ICE facility in Broadview are scared to come back because they’re being shot with pepper balls and tear gas and other kinetic impact projectiles.”
Asked what he would say to people who support ICE’s mission, Massoglia stated, “Take a look at what’s happening and ask yourself if terror, harm, violence, and racism is an appropriate way to treat the fellow people who live in the same country as you.”
Massoglia continued, “We’ve seen ICE agents shooting multiple people, including killing one person just outside Chicago. One thing about tear gas that I think is important is this is really a public health hazard, because when there’s tear gas repeatedly used in a location, indiscriminately, it makes the air quality worse. It’s dangerous for children and pregnant people. It seeps into nearby businesses. It’s affects residents who just happen to live near the site of a peaceful protest.”
Massoglia steadfastly added, “Just keep coming out. Don’t don’t be deterred. Obviously it’s scary, and people need to take care of themselves. But we’ve seen really massive demonstrations from faith leaders, from community organizers, from people who had never been to a protest until two weeks ago. Change comes from social movements and organizing, so the more, the better.”
“Indiscriminate” use of “weapons” by ICE
The Black Wall Street Times also spoke with Theresa Kleinhaus, a lead attorney on the lawsuit, who stated, “we have peaceful protesters, clergy, and press that are exercising their First Amendment rights, trying to express their views on ICE, holding signs, chanting, or in the case of the press covering people protesting, and they’re being met with indiscriminate use of chemical weapons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper balls. This lawsuit is really to vindicate the First Amendment rights of the protesters and the clergy and the press.”
Kleinhaus stated, “I think the lawsuit was brought now because we’ve we’ve reached a real breaking point in Chicago. The protests at Broadview have been going on in a more amplified way over the last four weeks.”
Kleinhaus elaborated, “ICE agents have continued to use force over the last several weeks indiscriminately towards everybody that’s there, including people that live in Broadview, who aren’t protesting. If you live near Broadview, you can smell the tear gas, your eyes can water on your way to your garage. So that’s why the suit is brought now, because people really need some relief.”
Protesters, clergy, and the press at the heart of lawsuit
“What we’ve laid out in our request for relief is that the ICE agents not use indiscriminate force like these nearly lethal chemical weapons against peaceful protesters, clergy and the press. It’s very similar to what was requested and granted in LA on behalf of the Press Guild there.”
“Protesters should be able to speak their mind and not be threatened with violence as a result. And that applies to everybody, no matter their views.” Kleinhaus said. “People ought to be able to express their views. Press ought to be able to cover newsworthy events without suffering violence.”
Asked what can be done now to impact change, Kleinhaus stated, “I think it’s very important for all of us to be listening to each other’s views and finding a way forward.”
Federal judge declines temporary order
A federal judge declined to quickly issue a temporary order blocking the Trump administration’s plan to deploy National Guard members to Chicago to counter protests against the US immigration crackdown, while urging the government to delay the controversial plan until she rules.
According to Bloomberg, US District Judge April Perry on Monday said she could not rule immediately on a request by Illinois for a two-week halt to the deployment, which would include National Guard troops under federal control from Illinois and Texas. She set a Thursday hearing for arguments.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday aimed at limiting where federal agents can gather in the city, prohibiting them from using certain city-owned spaces for immigration enforcement activities.
The order, which is set to take effect immediately, will prohibit federal immigration authorities from using “city-owned or controlled parking lots, vacant lots, and garages as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement activities,” it states.