Charges Dropped Against 19 Arrested in Clergy-Led Protest at Broadview ICE Facility

Cook County prosecutors decline to proceed with cases, citing 'interests of justice, fairness and the responsible use of prosecutorial resources'.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Prosecutors have dropped charges against 19 of the 21 people arrested during a clergy-led protest outside the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois last fall. The demonstrators, including Rev. Michael Woolf, were hoping to provide religious counseling to detainees but were denied entrance and a scuffle broke out with local law enforcement, leading to the arrests.

Why it matters

The case highlights ongoing tensions between immigrant advocates and law enforcement over protests at immigration detention facilities. While prosecutors cited discretion in dropping the charges, the incident has been described as an 'encounter with state violence' by one of the arrested protesters.

The details

On November 14, Rev. Michael Woolf and other faith members gathered outside the Broadview ICE facility to provide religious counseling to detainees, but were denied entrance. As the demonstrators moved closer to the facility, hoping those inside would hear their prayers, a confrontation occurred with local law enforcement. 21 people were arrested, with the Cook County Sheriff's Office stating the group had left the 'designated protest area' and was 'unlawfully assembling in the roadway'. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office has now dropped charges in 19 of those cases, citing the 'interests of justice, fairness and the responsible use of prosecutorial resources'.

  • On November 14, the protest and arrests occurred outside the Broadview ICE facility.
  • In early October, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff's and Broadview police launched a unified command to handle crowd control at the near-daily demonstrations outside the facility.
  • Between early October and late November, local law enforcement agencies arrested at least 113 people outside the Broadview facility.

The players

Rev. Michael Woolf

One of the arrestees, a faith leader who said the charges were 'always egregious' and that the protesters were 'acting from a real standpoint' that the situation at the Broadview facility was a 'moral emergency and spiritual emergency'.

Cook County State's Attorney's Office

The office that has now dropped charges in 19 of the 21 cases, citing the 'interests of justice, fairness and the responsible use of prosecutorial resources'.

Cook County Sheriff's Office

The law enforcement agency that arrested the 21 protesters, stating the group had left the 'designated protest area' and was 'unlawfully assembling in the roadway'.

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What they’re saying

“The fact was that the people who were gathered there, myself included, were acting from a real standpoint, that what was going on in Broadview was a moral emergency and spiritual emergency, and we saw that play out, and we were met with pretty intense violence, and then we were prosecuted for that.”

— Rev. Michael Woolf (Chicago Sun-Times)

“Although sufficient evidence exists to support this prosecution, considering the totality of the circumstances, we are declining to proceed.”

— Cook County State's Attorney's Office (Chicago Sun-Times)

What’s next

Of the two people arrested whose cases were not dropped, one is charged with mob action and the other is charged with resisting a police officer. Their cases are still pending in Cook County Court.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between immigrant advocates and law enforcement over protests at immigration detention facilities, with the dropped charges seen as a victory for the protesters but concerns remaining over the treatment of those who continue to face prosecution.