Oct. 29 (UPI) — A federal grand jury indicted House of Representatives hopeful Kap Abughazaleh for conspiracy and interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.
Abughazaleh, 26, is a progressive candidate who is one of more than a dozen seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2026 election to represent Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District that is located north of Chicago.
A federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois last week indicted her and five others for impeding an ICE vehicle and agent outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, Politico reported.
“No one is above the law and no one has the right to obstruct it,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a prepared statement, as reported by WFLD.
“Federal agents perform dangerous, essential work every single day to enforce out immigration laws and keep our communities safe.”
He said those who “resort to force or intimidation to interfere with that mission … attack not only the agents themselves but the rule of law they represent.”
Abughazaleh called her indictment a “political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent” in a post on X.
“This case is a major push by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish anyone who speaks out against them.”
Among Abughazaleh’s indicted co-defendants also are involved in local politics.
Catherine Sharp, 29, seeks a seat on the Cook County Board and is the chief of staff to Ald. Andre Vasquez, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Oak Park trustee Brian Straw, 38, and 45th Ward Democratic committee member Michael Rabbit, 62, also are indicted, along with protesters Andre Martin, 27, and Joselyn Walsh, 31.
A sealed court document filed on Thursday accuses Abughazaleh and co-defendants of conspiracy and interfering with the duties of an officer of the United States, which are punishable by up to six years in prison.
They allegedly surrounded an ICE vehicle driven by an agent and hindered its progress as the officer drove forward “at an extremely slow rate of speed” while trying not to injure any of the six defendants.
Prosecutors say Abughazaleh, “with her hands on the hood braced her body and hands against the vehicle while remaining directly in the path of the vehicle.”
The defendants also are accused of etching “Pig” on the side of the ICE vehicle and breaking its side mirrors and rear windshield wiper.
Abughazaleh, et al., have an arraignment hearing scheduled on Nov. 5.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, currently represents Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District, which includes Evanston along the Lake Michigan shoreline to the east and stretches northwesterly to include Crystal Lake in its far northwestern corner.
Schakowsky is retiring from politics and vacating the seat after finishing her current term.
