Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly criticized Illinois officials on Friday after she and her staff were allegedly denied access to a government building in the Chicago area during a visit to an ICE facility that has been the center of intense protests for several weeks.
Noem, aged 53, posted a video on social media showing her team being refused entry to the Village of Broadview Municipal Building, situated approximately 12 miles from downtown Chicago, after they requested to use the restroom. She lambasted Governor JB Pritzker for allowing state officials to dismiss federal agents.
“We were just making a quick stop for a bathroom break,” the DHS secretary shared on X.
“This is a public facility. The Village of Broadview receives more than $1 million in federal funds each year. This conduct is how JB Pritzker and his associates treat our law enforcement. It is utterly disgraceful.”
The video footage, captured by conservative commentator Benny Johnson, depicts Noem and around a dozen plain-clothed staff members gently requesting to use the restroom, while an individual inside the building firmly kept the door shut, declaring, “No, you cannot.”
The secretary and her team responded with “thank you” and walked away, with Noem later addressing the camera to denounce the governor and local officials for displaying a lack of “cooperation” with federal authorities.
“So, while these local leaders and governors claim they support law enforcement, this is what we endure daily. All we are trying to do is take criminals, terrorists, cartels, and gang members off our streets,” she stated in the video.
Yet, officials from Broadview responded, arguing that the video did not portray the complete narrative.
Village spokesperson David Ormsby informed CNN that Noem visited the Village Hall without prior notice, seeking a meeting with Mayor Katrina Thompson, who was not present at that moment.
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“The mayor returned the visit,” Ormsby said, adding that he felt “distressed” to learn the bathrooms at the ICE facility in Broadview were reportedly “unavailable.”
“Mayor Thompson went to the ICE center, accompanied by the Broadview Police Chief Thomas, and officers… The mayor was informed by agents at the gate that the secretary was not available for a meeting.”
Noem arrived in Illinois on Friday morning and was reportedly seen on the roof of the detention center, the same location that has become a hotbed of civil unrest and vigorous anti-ICE protests.
Pritzker had previously criticized Noem’s visit in a series of social media updates.
“Secretary Noem should not be allowed to step foot in the State of Illinois without proper public accountability,” he stated in one post.
Pritzker and Broadview village officials did not immediately reply to The Post’s request for comments.
