Broadview mayor seeks closure of Broadview ICE Processing Center, demands federal reimbursement

On March 25, 2026, Mayor Katrina Thompson of the Chicago suburb of Broadview pressed federal officials to shut the Broadview ICE Processing Center and requested more than $700,000 to cover municipal expenses and nearby business losses tied to last fall’s enforcement actions. Thompson delivered the appeal during a trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this month and in a formal letter to members of the Illinois congressional delegation.

Broadview officials say the village incurred $361,536 in direct costs responding to activity around the ICE facility. Records released to the village show $71,185 in police overtime, more than $3,000 on additional protective equipment, roughly $41,000 in legal fees including a federal suit to remove a fence around the site, nearly $250,000 tied to ambulance transfers from the facility’s address, and about $12,100 for fire and ambulance overtime. Local leaders also report $353,813 in lost revenue for two nearby firms, identified as Reynolds Advanced Materials and Wagner Brass Foundry, Inc.; neither business provided comment.

The protests flared during Operation Midway Blitz, the deportation campaign that peaked between September and November and drew near-daily demonstrations to the processing center. Detainees and advocates reported overcrowded conditions and limited access to food and water, while federal agents from ICE and CBP used force against crowds, including rubber bullets and tear gas. Thompson has proposed converting the site into a "Broadview Justice Corridor" museum and education center, projecting up to 250,000 annual visitors and as much as $31 million in economic activity; she has not yet received responses from the two senators and six representatives she contacted.