A determined priest in clerical collar being peacefully detained by police outside a stark government building, photorealistic, somber mood, early morning light.
A determined priest in clerical collar being peacefully detained by police outside a stark government building, photorealistic, somber mood, early morning light.

Rev. Michael Woolf Detained While Protesting Immigration Policies at Broadview Facility

Photo by Jim Vondruska/Reuters

On November 14, 2025, Rev. Michael Woolf, a faith leader and minister at Lake Street Church of Evanston, was among 21 individuals detained by Illinois State Police during a protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Broadview, Illinois. The demonstration drew approximately 300 participants who gathered to oppose the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement policies.

The protest featured participants carrying signs with messages like "God's Love Knows No Borders" and "God Demands Freedom," while engaging in singing and chanting. Around 10 a.m., a group of protesters knowingly crossed a protest barrier, leading to the arrests. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, most detainees faced charges including obstruction, disorderly conduct, and walking on a highway, with one individual also charged with mob action. The ages of those arrested ranged from 23 to 67.

During the incident, four law enforcement officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries while attempting to redirect protesters off the roadway.

The Broadview ICE facility has become a focal point for activists opposing federal immigration policies, particularly following the initiation of "Operation Midway Blitz" in September, which has resulted in over 3,200 arrests in the Chicago metropolitan area. Tensions have escalated in recent months, with previous protests involving confrontations where authorities deployed tear gas and less-lethal munitions. In October, a federal judge limited some crowd-control tactics used by ICE and Border Patrol, including the deployment of tear gas without adequate warning.

Rev. Woolf has been an active participant in demonstrations against ICE operations. In previous interviews, he has described the Broadview facility as a place where individuals are processed and sent to other detention centers, often exceeding the supposed 72-hour maximum stay. He has criticized ICE's methods, stating that they "regularly come into communities and kidnap people... with the utmost terror and trauma."

The protest at Broadview represents the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between immigration activists and federal authorities in the Chicago area, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement policies and the role of faith communities in advocating for immigrant rights.

The prompt for this was: Rev. Michael Woolf, a faith leader and minister at Lake Street Church of Evanston, detained by Illinois State Police while protesting immigration policies outside the Broadview facility in Chicago. Photo by Jim Vondruska/Reuters

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