Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh took part in a protest last month at the Broadview ICE facility just outside of Chicago, where she was physically removed after trying to interfere with operations.
Now, she's facing a pretty serious federal indictment.
Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old social media influencer running to represent the 9th Congressional District in Illinois, has been charged with two counts: conspiracy to impede or injure an Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, and assaulting or impeding that officer while engaged in his official duties.
The conspiracy count, according to an MSNBC report, carries the potential for a six-year prison sentence if convicted, while the assault charge could lead to an eight-year sentence.
NEWS: Federal prosecutors indict Kat Abughazaleh, congressional candidate, county board candidate Cat Sharp and Dem committeeman Michael Rabbitt over September Broadview protest pic.twitter.com/tJ6msMX2MO
— Gregory Royal Pratt (@royalpratt) October 29, 2025
READ MORE: DHS Has a Message to the Anti-ICE Crew Protesting Nationwide Ops - and They're Not Going to Like It
The indictment details how Abughazaleh and five other defendants allegedly conspired to "prevent by force" an agent at the facility from "discharging the duties of his office."
They are described as having "banged aggressively" on a government vehicle, etched the word "PIG" into the body of the car, and were so aggressive in pushing against it that they broke a side mirror and wiper.
Video on the day in question shows Abughazaleh and numerous other protesters trying to block an ICE agent's vehicle. It's unclear if this is the exact incident on which she has now been charged. But, as you can see, the protesters are definitely banging on the government vehicle.
Meet Kat Abughazaleh, she's running for Congress (IL-09) that's her in the white shirt
— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) September 27, 2025
And she's committing a federal crime by impeding federal agts from doing their job
I'm calling on @Sec_Noem to submit a criminal referral to @TheJusticeDept on her
(RP) if you agree 👇 pic.twitter.com/990PND02CA
Abughazaleh also posted the video, claiming to be little more than a casual pedestrian in a crosswalk that agents nearly mowed down.
"At the Broadview ICE facility, an ICE agent tried to run dozens of protesters over with an SUV as we walked on a public crosswalk," she said, despite the video showing nobody standing in the crosswalk actually engaged in the act of walking.
She also claimed ICE agents blasted protesters with "pepper balls."
A video from a separate protest a week earlier showed the far-left Democrat being forcibly hauled out of the way by ICE agents.
One clip, uploaded to X by NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley, shows an officer helpfully escorting Abughazaleh to the other side of the street after she deliberately attempted to block a vehicle exiting the facility.
She gets dropped on her backside in short order.
Now: A woman protesting rushes in front of a federal officer’s vehicle leaving the Broadview facility—Agents quickly jump in and forcibly remove her. Earlier she was sitting on the ground blocking the exit. pic.twitter.com/Y9DgbBg9xf
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) September 19, 2025
She literally ran around from the side to get in front of the SUV, but it's the driver who is the problem because he keeps trying to "run them over."
Despite the seriousness of the charges she's facing, Abughazaleh posted a defiant video on social media declaring that she is the victim of “political prosecution” and accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) of a “gross attempt to silence dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment.”
“I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win,” she wrote on X.
I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice.
— Kat Abughazaleh (@KatAbughazaleh) October 29, 2025
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win. pic.twitter.com/szOSZa1h3z
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned on the date of the incident that the DOJ would "not stand idly by in the face of such lawlessness."
"The Department of Justice will seek the most serious available charges against all participants in these criminal mobs, including conspiracy offenses, assault offenses, civil disorder offenses, and terrorism offenses," Bondi announced.
At least in this matter, the AG appears to be following through. More of these resistance theater incidents need to be treated seriously, resulting in more charges.
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