“I extended my arms, palms outstretched toward the ICE officers, in a traditional Christian posture of prayer and blessing,” Black told the ACLU of Illinois in a press release published on Monday. “Without any warning, and without any order or request that I and others disperse, I was suddenly fired upon by ICE officers. In rapid fire, I was hit seven times on my arms, face and torso with exploding pellets that contained some kind of chemical agent. It was clear to me that the officers were aiming for my head, which they struck twice.”
The complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU) and a coalition of journalists, media organizations, clergy, and local residents.
It accuses federal agencies and officials—including President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and ICE leadership—of using “indiscriminate” and “escalating” force against peaceful demonstrators and members of the press at the Broadview ICE Processing Center, a longtime protest site west of Chicago.