A coalition of legal organizations, including Eimer Stahl, the MacArthur Justice Center, and the ACLU of Illinois, filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court in Chicago on behalf of individuals detained at the Broadview ICE facility. The suit alleges that detainees are being denied access to legal counsel and held in inhumane conditions.
Since the launch of “Operation Midway Blitz” on September 8, 2025, ICE has arrested and transferred large numbers of residents, predominantly from the Latine community, to Broadview. The lawsuit demands that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ICE, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem comply with constitutional protections and stop using Broadview as a black box to expedite deportations without due process.
“Access to counsel is not a privilege. It is a right,” said Nate Eimer, partner at Eimer Stahl and co-counsel in the lawsuit. “We can debate immigration policy but there is no debating the denial of legal rights and holding those detained in conditions that are not only unlawful but inhumane. Justice and compassion demand that our clients’ rights be upheld.”
The complaint details abuses at Broadview, including denial of food, water, medical care, and access to legal counsel. Attorneys, members of Congress, and faith leaders have been barred from entering the facility, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability.
Read the full complaint and press release.
Read more:
Inhumane conditions and medical neglect alleged at Broadview ICE processing center, Chicago Tribune (subscription required)
Lawsuit Alleges ‘Horrific And Inhumane’ Conditions At Broadview ICE Facility, Block Club Chicago
'Black box in which to disappear people': Detainees describe ICE facility in lawsuit, USA Today
Return Detainees For Suit Over ICE Facility, Judge Says, Law360
Advocates Sue Feds Over ‘Dire’ Conditions at Chicago-Area Immigration Facility, Wall Street Journal
Advocates allege ‘inhumane’ conditions at Chicago-area ICE facility in new lawsuit, CNN
Broadview ICE facility a ‘black box’ where immigrants denied access to lawyers, medicine, lawsuit claims, WBEZ Chicago
Lawsuit filed against Trump admin alleges ‘inhumane conditions’ at Broadview ICE facility, WBEZ Chicago
'Inhumane conditions': Emergency lawsuit filed over what's happening inside Broadview ICE facility, ABC 7 Chicago