Demonstrators were hit by pepper balls and rubber bullets Monday during protests at ICE\u2019s Broadview facility.<\/p>\n
Daniel Schouse, a 36-year-old Palatine resident, was covered in white pepper ball powder by the afternoon, only to be hosed off by others with wipes and water bottles. <\/p>\n
For the last several days, federal immigration agents have regularly used pepper balls and other chemicals as well as rubber bullets during demonstrations. The agents are firing the rounds as an attempt to clear protesters from ICE\u2019s facility driveway so vehicles can carry agents and detainees.<\/p>\n
Schouse took several hits as protesters stood on the sidewalk blocking cars from entering the facility temporarily, but always being fended back by agents shoving them out of the way or the pepper ball rounds.<\/p>\n
But he and others also were shot while dancing and blowing bubbles in front of the facility. They later shouted to agents on the roof not to shoot a woman who arrived to drop off a relative\u2019s legal documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 20 people out here and they\u2019re shooting,\u201d he told the Sun-Times before he was interrupted by another volley of pepper ball shots raining down from agents on the building\u2019s roof. \u201cEven when you\u2019re following the law, don\u2019t be surprised if they shoot you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thoughout the day, as many as five agents stood on the roof overlooking the small crowd of protesters as demonstrations stretched into the evening.<\/p>\n
Rounds of pepper balls sent pepper wafting into the air, causing people on the ground to cough and sneeze. Some demonstrators complained of their eyes stinging and others rushed to rinse their faces, bodies and clothing with milk or water.<\/p>\n
Protesters sometimes taunted agents on the roof or behind the fence to the facility\u2019s parking lot. One man yelled: \u201cWhy do you guys like to shoot unarmed civilians?\u201d<\/p>\n
An agent on the roof shrugged.<\/p>\n
Daniel Schouse, a 36-year-old Palatine resident, has his eyes washed out after he was shot by federal agents with pepper ball guns, Sept. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Meanwhile, Schouse had been hit with both pepper balls and rubber rounds in his head, arm, ankle and back by that afternoon. The only thing getting him to leave was when public transit stopped running to the area.<\/p>\n Schouse said while it\u2019s a very different vibe to protests he\u2019s been to downtown, he encouraged others to come out \u201cif they get an emotional response\u201d to videos of protesters being shot at, even if they don\u2019t want to be on the front line with him. He was thrust into action by Friday\u2019s videos of tear gas clouds and Congressional candidates being tossed to the ground.<\/p>\n Experiencing it himself only solidified his desire to be at the Broadview facility denouncing the hundreds of arrests federal immigration officials have claimed to have made.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that they\u2019re shooting me is getting me more worked up and makes me want to be here more,\u201d Schouse said. \u201cEvery day off I\u2019ll make sure I\u2019m out here. \u2026 It\u2019s like igniting a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters are pushed off the sidewalk by federal agents in front of ICE\u2019s Broadview facility Monday, Sept. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Morsa Narvaez, a 25-year-old hair dresser who lives nearby, arrived for the first time Friday to ask if the protesters there needed supplies. She\u2019s been there every day since, now taking charge when people stop by to ask the same question she did four days ago.<\/p>\n She said the group, which isn\u2019t under any organization, has been learning what works best as the days go on. Containers for their supplies were bought after large amounts of tear gas and mace were used Friday, and a change of clothes is kept for those riddled with chemical munitions.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no organization,\u201d Narvaez said. \u201cAs we\u2019re going, we\u2019re realizing what we need. \u2026 We\u2019re just a community of people who see something that\u2019s wrong and are trying to do what we can. We\u2019re not professionals \u2014 I cut hair. We\u2019re just figuring it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Narvaez is hopeful more locals will turn out, as Monday\u2019s group capped out around 20 people by 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n![\"BROADVIEWICE-092325-8.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b8f624e\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4071x3021+0+0\/resize\/840x623!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F87%2F26%2Fbfe6eaa24126a51dfde5ccb49bde%2Fbroadviewice-092325-8.jpg\")
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