By Greg Bishop | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Designated protest times are being ordered by the mayor of Broadview, Illinois, after chaotic protests this past weekend.

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson’s office announced an executive order establishing fixed protest hours for between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily around the Beach Street Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Facility.

“I have repeatedly said that I intend to defend the protesters’ constitutionally protected free speech rights,” Thompson said in a statement. “I support their cause. But the repeated clashes with ICE agents in our town are causing enormous disruptions in the quality of life for my residents whose rights I have taken an oath to protect. We live here. Our residents live here and deserve dignity and respect.”

Thompson said in recent weeks, the demonstrations have escalated into unsafe situations.

“For example, on Saturday night, October 5, around 8:00 p.m. Broadview had a very aggressive crowd of protesters and the situation got out of control,” Thompson said. “We had over 60 state troopers helping and we had to seek additional assistance from other local police departments who rushed to Broadview to help. And Broadview residents had to suffer through that mayhem.”

In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order to make Chicago an ICE free zone. Johnson’s office said the executive order creates clear mechanisms to prohibit federal immigration agents from using any city-owned property in their ongoing operations in Chicago.

“The measure directs that City employees immediately report any attempted use of City property for immigration enforcement; any such instance will be reported to the Office of the Mayor and the Corporation Counsel,” Johnson’s office said.

Tax dollars will also be used for signage from the mayor’s office “that private landowners and leaseholders can post on their property.”

“The signage clearly states that no federal immigration agents may enter for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement and that the property may not be used as a staging area, processing location, or operations base,” the mayor’s statement said.

All this comes as Chicago joins in a lawsuit against the Trump administration that the Illinois Attorney General announced Monday to block the use of National Guard troops in Illinois.

“I don’t think any American would disagree that Chicago needs more law enforcement reinforcements, that they need more resources,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. “Look at this headline from over the weekend. At least 30 people shot during the weekend in Democrat-run Chicago. Five of them were killed in one weekend. This is completely unacceptable. And the president wants to make American cities safer, and he’s willing to work with anyone to do it.”