Ten protesters were maced by federal immigration agents outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Saturday, with two taken to hospital, village officials said.
The confrontation began at about 2.30pm outside the federal detention centre on Beach Street, where demonstrators had gathered near the entrance. Broadview Fire EMS treated those affected, while the remaining protesters declined transport to hospital.
According to village spokesperson David Ormsby, some protesters said they had been “staging” in the middle of the road and blocking ICE agents from entering and leaving the property. The account was followed by a confrontation between the demonstrators and federal agents.
Footage reviewed by local television stations appeared to show officers pushing protesters back from the facility before a chemical spray was deployed. Some officers were seen wearing masks as they retreated towards a fenced parking area.
The protesters were taken to Loyola Hospital, while none of the 10 people affected was a Broadview resident, the village said.
The Coalition Against Broadview ICE Facility called for an independent federal investigation, alleging that pepper spray had been used unnecessarily. The group also raised concerns about claims that an ICE vehicle made contact with a protester and that a seated demonstrator was forcibly removed.
Broadview officials stressed that the local police department was not involved in attacking demonstrators and said the actions during the incident were carried out by federal ICE agents. The US Department of Homeland Security had not responded to requests for comment.
