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Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive candidate running for Congress, has been indicted on charges stemming from her participation during protests near an ICE processing facility near the Chicago area in September.

The Federal Charges

The indictment, filed last week, claim this twenty-six-year-old American of Palestinian descent political figure along with five others “physically hindered and impeded” a federal agent who was “compelled to proceed very slowly” to avoid injuring any of the conspirators.

The candidate, who is running for a congressional seat in Illinois, was charged with plotting to obstruct a federal officer as well as hindering the agent during the execution of their duties.

Alleged Actions During Protest

As stated in court papers, those involved “planned together with others” to prevent by force, intimidation, and threat, a federal law enforcement officer, from discharging the duties of his office.

Prosecutors claim that Abughazaleh, together with the group, “struck forcefully” on the officer’s car, “crowded together in the front and side” of the vehicle and also “pushed against the vehicle to hinder and impede its movement”.

The charging documents state that the group scratched the term “pig” onto the car and broke a side mirror and a rear windshield wiper.

It also alleged the candidate in particular “positioned herself with others in front of the official car”, and with her hands on the hood braced her body and hands against the vehicle while remaining directly in the path of the vehicle, obstructing and blocking the officer.

Response from the Candidate

Following the indictment, the congressional candidate, recognized for her substantial online following, called the indictment “political prosecution”.

“This is a … gross attempt at silencing dissent, a right protected under the first amendment. This case is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up. That is the reason I will contest these unfair allegations,” she stated.

She continued: “While we were practicing our First Amendment rights, immigration officers have struck, pulled, thrown, fired pepper balls at, and used tear gas on numerous demonstrators, including me. Simply because we had the gall to say masked men abducting our neighbors and terrorizing our community cannot be the new normal.

“This prosecution aims at our freedoms to demonstrate, express opinions, and connect with those who oppose government actions … I’ve spent my career fighting America’s backwards slide towards fascism and I’m not going to give up now,” she continued.

Wider Implications

The charges emerge amid increased federal immigration operations in various left-leaning cities such as Chicago – a move which has been harshly criticized by local and state leaders.

These operations have faced broad resistance from citizens, Democratic members of Congress, and advocacy organizations, with the ACLU describing them as a “build out of a national paramilitary policing force that could be used to … consolidate President Donald Trump’s power”.