Illinois: Progressive Congressional Candidate Indicted on Two Federal Charges for Assaulting ICE Agents

Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive influencer and Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois, was indicted for impeding federal immigration enforcement. The federal charges relate to her role during a series of protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that took place in the city of Chicago. He will appear before the judge on November 5.

With a strong social media presence, the 26-year-old has already announced her candidacy to represent the state's 9th district in the House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Jan Schakowsky, who confirmed he will not seek re-election after more than 20 years in the lower house.

On Wednesday, Abughazaleh was formally charged with two federal charges: conspiracy to impede or injure an ICE agent and battery or obstruction of ICE agents while performing their official duties.

The young woman is charged along with five others, including Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic committeeman from Chicago, and Catherine Sharp, who is running for the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

According to the indictment, the influencer and her colleagues "surrounded" an ICE agent's vehicle on Sept. 26 as he attempted to arrive at the immigration enforcement facility in Broadview. They then violently struck the car, blocking its progress and writing the word "pig" on it. In turn, they broke a rearview mirror and a windshield wiper.

"It was a further part of the conspiracy that the co-conspirators physically hindered and impeded Agent A and the Government Vehicle such that Agent A was forced to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators and in doing so slowly progressed towards the BSSA to discharge the duties of his office," the indictment adds.

If found guilty, the conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to six years in prison, while the assault charge carries a penalty of up to eight years.

Abughazaleh's disclaimer: "We will not be silent"

Through a video posted on her social networks, the young woman asserted that the accusation is a direct attack against the First Amendment.

"Because Chicago doesn’t back down from bullies in masks who teargas our neighborhoods, this administration is resorting to weaponizing the federal legal system to scare us into silence. But we are not going to be silent," the young candidate said.