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By Robert Alexander
Senior Crime & Court Reporter
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A Chicago pastor injured during demonstrations outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility has joined a sweeping federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday challenging the Trump administration’s response to protests in the city.
One of the plaintiffs, Rev. David Black, who leads First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, says he was taking part in a prayer vigil outside the Broadview ICE facility when officers opened fire on him without warning.
Why It Matters
The nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating First Amendment rights during protests outside a federal immigration facility in Broadview, Illinois. The case, filed by journalists, media organizations, clergy and local residents, claims federal agents used tear gas, pepper balls and other force to intimidate peaceful demonstrators and reporters covering immigration enforcement operations.
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With the court weighing whether to restrict federal tactics, the suit could help define how far Washington can go in policing protests and how strongly speech, press and religious expression are protected when federal agents deploy in U.S. cities.
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What To Know
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.
Among the plaintiffs is the Rev. David Black, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago.
Black says he was participating in a prayer vigil outside the Broadview facility in September when ICE officers fired on him without provocation.
“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 lawsuit says: "As Rev. Black stood in the street offering prayers and urging ICE officers stationed on the roof of the Broadview ICE facility to repent from their unnecessarily brutal enforcement of the immigration laws, the ICE officers suddenly and without warning fired upon him, striking him repeatedly in the head with pepper balls."
Video footage posted on Instagram appears to show the confrontation with Pastor Black.
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Who Is Rev. David Black?
Rev. David Black is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He began pastoring First Church in 2020. He is spiritually rooted in Quakerism and grew up in a diverse array of Protestant and Evangelical churches around the world, according to a biography on the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago's website.
He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2018 with a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Education and Formation with a focus on Ministry with Young People, and a Certificate in Black Church Studies.
"Pastor Black is called to serve where people are discovering faith and where the church is engaging with its community, focusing on empowering individuals who have been marginalized and dispossessed," the church bio said.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The 52-page complaint alleges that federal officers deployed pepper balls, tear gas, and flash grenades “specifically designed to intimidate, to instill fear, and to silence those who are protesting” immigration enforcement operations in the region.
The lawsuit names 11 plaintiffs in total—five individuals (including Rev. David Black) and six media organizations such as the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago, and the Illinois Press Association.
Those groups say federal actions have chilled newsgathering and endangered reporters.
Stephanie Lulay, executive editor and cofounder of Block Club Chicago, said the newsroom’s coverage of the protests has been hampered. “During that time, at least four of our employees or freelancers have told me that they were hit with pepper balls and subjected to tear gas by federal agents at Broadview,” she said, adding “We intend to continue to report on the protests, but our ability to do so, to the standards that we hold ourselves to, continues to be impacted by our fears of violence and arrests of our employees and contractors.”
The lawsuit also cites a long tradition of peaceful prayer vigils and protests at the Broadview facility, where local faith groups and immigration advocates have gathered for years.
According to the filing, the demonstrations in September were “animated but peaceful,” with clergy and laypeople gathering on public property to voice opposition to increased immigration enforcement under an initiative the administration calls “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Federal officials have pushed back against the allegations.
During an emergency hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order, government attorneys argued that ICE officers have faced harassment and threats after their identities were shared online.
White House Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan said, “We’re not a militarized force. We have people doxxing our officers, our threats are at an all-time high.”
A DHS spokesperson said agents had used chemical agents only after protesters impeded federal vehicles and ignored repeated dispersal orders, according to reporting cited by NewsNation. The department maintains its actions are aimed at enforcing immigration laws and protecting officers’ safety.
Similar Incidents Across The US
The Illinois litigation follows a similar case in Los Angeles, where a federal judge recently restricted agents’ use of so-called “less-lethal” crowd control weapons against journalists and peaceful demonstrators.
The Chicago plaintiffs are seeking comparable limits and an injunction barring what they call unconstitutional tactics.
The court is expected to decide soon whether to temporarily restrict the federal government’s use of force at the Broadview facility as the case moves forward.
What People Are Saying
Rev. David Black: “This is how the Trump administration treats the public witness of Christian faith,” he wrote on social media after the incident. “This and worse has been happening every day in Broadview.”
Colleen K. Connell, executive director of the ACLU of Illinois, said on October 4: “This is the latest escalation of attacks on people in the Chicago area … from federal officers’ attack on Black and Brown residents—including children — … to the indiscriminate firing of pepper balls and projectiles in our neighborhoods and against protesters, Trump is targeting Chicago. … we will not be intimidated.”
Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy, ACLU of Illinois, said on Tuesday: “There’s no emergency … And when anybody protests, then that’s seized upon by the administration as a claim for the need to bring in further forces.”
ACLU of Illinois in a September 13 press statement reacting to federal force videos: “Federal officers should not respond to First Amendment activity with physical force and the firing of projectiles … these protestors—like everyone in our country—have the right to express themselves about government policy.”
What Happens Next
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis will decide whether to issue a temporary restraining order limiting federal agents’ use of tear gas, pepper balls and other crowd-control tactics at the Broadview ICE facility while the lawsuit proceeds. If granted, that order could immediately change how immigration enforcement is conducted at protests.
The case would then move into fuller proceedings, including arguments over a longer-term injunction, evidence gathering, and possible government motions to dismiss, with the potential for trial or settlement if no early resolution is reached.
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