An American citizen and Berwyn resident says he was physically and verbally assaulted while detained at the Immigration Customs Enforcement processing center at 1930 Beach St. in Broadview.
Once released, Rogelio Huerta says he was then shot with pepper bullets by ICE officers to the point of needing medical attention.
Huerta says Saturday night, Sept. 20, he was detained at the facility while protesting and was held overnight in the facility for six hours.
“They beat me up. They called me a faggot, a bitch. They called me anything you could name,” said Huerta.
Huerta said he was detained at the protest because he “knocked one of the windows” of an ICE vehicle that he “almost got hit” by.
Protestors have been seen attempting to block ICE vehicles entering the facility since at least Sept. 5.
He alleges he was dragged from the street, into the facility after an ICE agent saw him knock on the window of the car. In his violation notice given to him by ICE, the offense description says it was an “assault on officers.”
According to Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, as of Monday, Sept. 22, ICE had detained 16 protestors in Broadview, some of whom she alleges were detained for “assaulting law enforcement.”
In an official statement, McLaughlin said that “rioters and sanctuary politicians obstructed law enforcement, threw tear gas cans, rocks, bottles, and fireworks, slashed tires of cars, blocked the entrance of the building, and trespassed on private property…These rioters in Illinois are fighting to keep rapists, murderers, and other violent criminals loose on Illinois streets.”
Huerta described the conditions he experienced in the facility, saying, “You have detainees that are like in 250 square feet, all huddled together, 50 to 100 people.” He also mentioned sleeping without sheets on a cement floor covered in cockroaches and centipedes.
“There’s nothing being provided to these people before they get deported. So, there’s no food, there’s no water, there’s nothing,” he said.
Huerta alleges he saw people inside the facility who were being held there for multiple days. “These people were walking back and forth in desperation of faith and hope,” he said.
Though the facility has a 12-hour maximum stay for detainees, there have been reports that the facility has held people there for days at a time.
Huerta also says that he was not read his Miranda rights nor was allowed to call anyone, including a lawyer or his parents.
He said he had no contact with Broadview police, and when contacted by Growing Community Media (GCM), the Broadview Police Department said they had no record of Huerta in their arrest records.
Six hours later, Huerta says he was told by ICE officers that he had slashed tires, which he claims to be false, and that he had been attending the protest on Friday, which he also claims is false.
“They will find everything in their power to make you look like a criminal, even though you’re,” Huerta said.
Once released, Huerta went back to protesting outside the facility, which is when he claims he was shot with pepper bullets to the point of needing medical care, and then took himself to the urgent care Cermak Immediate Care.
When contacted by GCM, ICE media did not respond.
