(NewsNation) — Protesters clashed with federal agents for the second consecutive Friday at an immigration processing center in Illinois as tensions surrounding the facility have continued to escalate.
The facility, located in the small Chicago suburb of Broadview, faces allegations of inhumane practices and operating as a de facto detention center.
Roughly 100 protesters gathered outside the facility Friday morning, and the demonstration remained peaceful until about 7:30 a.m. local time, when agents attempted to drive down a road that was blocked by the group, according to NewsNation’s local affiliate WGN-TV.
Agents responded by firing pepper balls, prompting many protesters to retreat. No injuries have been reported. Additional pepper balls were fired at demonstrators gathering at another entrance, the same location where several protesters had gathered earlier this week.
The confrontation appeared to end when agents retreated behind a gate, though protesters remained outside chanting, some in face masks, in what appeared to be a continued standoff.
Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol’s commander-at-large and former El Centro Sector chief, is on the frontline of agents protecting the facility. He is in charge of more than 200 federal immigration officers whom the Trump administration has tasked with making Chicago safer.
‘There’s no accountability’: Protester
Protesters have repeatedly clashed with authorities at the center during the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement in Illinois, which has led to the arrests of more than 400 people since its early September inception.
Demonstrators told NewsNation on Friday that they don’t want a repeat of last week’s protest when officers used tear gas and pepper balls on those gathered outside the brick building’s gates.
An ICE spokesperson told NewsNation that demonstrators slashed the tires of federal vehicles and blocked paths before the use of chemical agents.
Protester Daniel Shouse told WGN that a car carrying three federal immigration officers drove over a curb to hit him on Wednesday.
“There’s no accountability. The officers came up to me at the hospital and asked if I’d be able to point the person out in a lineup,” Shouse said. ” How can I do that when they all wear masks? They have no name tags. They have nothing.”
The truck reportedly continued driving toward the ICE facility’s parking lot, witnesses told Broadview police.
Illinois officials have backed so-called “sanctuary city” policies in and around Chicago, preventing local authorities from assisting in federal immigration enforcement.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently signed two executive orders aimed at protecting the rights of city residents who protest, and Gov. JB Pritzker has criticized the administration’s “terrible plans” for the state.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.