ACLU Sues DHS Over Alleged Inhumane Conditions at Chicago ICE Facility

A series of lawsuits have been filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over deplorable conditions at the Broadview ICE Processing Center near Chicago, which has become a focal point of protests against President Trump's mass deportation campaign. Reports from multiple sources and civil rights groups, including the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center, describe detainees being crammed into overcrowded, unsanitary holding cells infested with pests, lacking adequate food, water, and medical care, and denied basic necessities like menstrual products. The facility, intended for short-term processing of detainees, has been used to hold people for days, far exceeding the 12-hour guideline, while detainees are reportedly denied access to attorneys and coerced into signing documents waiving their legal rights. Conditions include detainees being watched while using the bathroom, predominantly men guarding women, and the denial of private calls with lawyers, with the center described as operating without oversight. Lawsuits accuse ICE of effectively running the center as a jail, with detainees subjected to treatment described as degrading and animal-like, which has fueled ongoing protests and calls for justice. DHS has not yet responded to requests for comment, and court hearings on the matter are ongoing.