09/21/2025
I drove to the Broadview ICE detention facility today to take photographs. It was a rainy, subdued day. Protesters held signs, a few of them huddled under umbrellas and ponchos to stay dry. A steady stream of people came and went, bringing supplies—water, milk, and food—to the front lines.
Despite the calm, a palpable tension lingered in the air. ICE, FBI, and other federal agents were a constant presence, coming in and out of the building. I watched as vans pulled in, bringing in chained people, most agents with their faces covered just plain cowards for hiding their identities. Unlike yesterday, when they reportedly used tear gas, pepper balls, and riot munitions, the agents today mostly avoided the protesters. They simply went about their business, ignoring the crowd.
It felt surreal that this is happening in America. The land of the free, where American freedoms are supposedly guaranteed. For many, that promise was always an illusion, but now more people are opening their eyes to the reality that authoritarianism is already here. The idea of American exceptionalism, which was pounded into generations, was just a way to make people feel privileged and proud—making them easy to control. This is fascist America.