Since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz on Sept. 8, confrontations between protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have become increasingly contentious, and on Friday, Sept. 19, a Homewood man was detained by ICE for several hours after he joined a protest at the ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois.

The man spoke to the Chronicle on the condition that we not reveal his identity because he feared reprisals.

On Sept. 19, a video of Kat Abughazaleh being thrown to the ground by an agent went viral on social media. She is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District. The Homewood man said seeing the way she was treated was one thing that prompted him to join the protest.

He said he had participated in other protests, including the large gathering for “No Kings Day” in June, but none were as confrontational as the event Friday.

When he arrived, agents soon detained several protesters. Agents fired pepper balls periodically from the roof and from behind the fence surrounding the processing center. After a lull of about 45 minutes, agents gathered again and launched cannisters of tear gas into the group of protesters.

He said he went prepared with personal protective equipment, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the gas from having a debilitating effect. As he was recovering from the gas, he went to check on how another protester was doing when another cannister landed nearby. Shortly after, he was grabbed by four agents who carried him into the center.

The time in detention was surprisingly calm in contrast to the scene outside, he said. Agents were more polite and processed detainees in a fairly routine manner. He was there for about three-and-a-half hours, then was issued a misdemeanor citation and released.

The aggressive immigration enforcement sweep is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants with criminal records. News reports have documented a number of cases where ICE agents detained undocumented immigrants without criminal records, immigrants with documentation and even U.S. citizens. Most of the enforcement action was concentrated in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., this summer, but early in September, the administration turned its attention to Chicago.

In announcing Operation Midway Blitz, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: “President (Donald) Trump and (DHS) Secretary (Kristi) Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you and you will never return.”

Chicago is a sanctuary city, and Illinois is a sanctuary state, which means local and state law enforcement agencies are not allowed by law to assist ICE with deportation operations. Trump has long opposed sanctuary policies. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have opposed the federal operation.

On Sept. 19, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a statement decrying the violence used against immigrants and protesters.

“The recent incidents at the ICE facility in Broadview are deeply troubling. We have seen reports of people exercising their First Amendment rights being tear gassed, pushed, threatened and pepper sprayed by masked federal agents,” she said. “We have passed a resolution calling out ICE’s callous tactics: stopping people in unmarked cars, refusing to identify themselves, hiding their faces with masks and terrorizing our communities. These tactics are unlawful. I stand firmly with the residents of Cook County who have organized to support, inform and speak out against these tactics and strongly condemn these violent actions on our residents.”

For his part, the Homewood resident who was detained said he was proud of taking a stand and considered his experience a small price to pay considering the consequences immigrants and others are facing.

“I did something that feels right,” he said. “It’s very heartening to hear from all the people that I know and love and care about that they are also in support of what I did.”

Of the Trump administration, he said: “They’re so staggeringly unpopular. That is why their actions have to be so drastic and why they have to move so quickly. It’s just because they are on the losing side and they can see that the walls are closing in on them. So that’s the perspective I choose to take and it makes me hopeful for the future.”