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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 taking part in a September protest outdoors an ICE facility close to Chicago.
What occurred? The indictment expenses six folks, together with two native elected officers and Kat Abughazaleh, a Democrat operating 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 Car such that Agent A was pressured to drive at an especially gradual price of pace to keep away from injuring any of the conspirators.” Video of the confrontation posted to X by Abughazaleh exhibits protesters chanting and making an attempt 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 growing authorized scrutiny; this week, a Border Patrol official was informed to seem in courtroom each day as a decide scrutinizes use of pressure by brokers.
Why does this matter? This indictment is the newest in an alarming development 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 Might, 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 “essentially the most anti-democratic factor [Trump has] performed since January 6.”
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Hello readers, bear with me right here: This can be a much less cheerful closing word than we frequently strive for within the Logoff, but it surely’s necessary. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica this week, killing a minimum of seven and doing billions of {dollars} in harm. It’s one of many strongest storms ever recorded, and restoration will probably be a protracted, tough course of.
When you really feel the urge to assist, my colleague Sara Herschander wrote a pointy, helpful piece about do essentially the most good. She’s collected an inventory of reliable, efficient organizations to help that may assist Jamaica, Haiti, and different impacted nations recuperate now and within the months and years to come back. You’ll find it right here. Thanks for studying, have a fantastic night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow.