Background: ICE Ordered to Remove Security Fence
On Sunday, tensions flared outside the ICE Field Office in Broadview, Illinois, as conservative journalists Ben Bergquam and Terry Newsome arrived to document and counter-protest anti-ICE activists.
Days earlier, a federal judge ordered ICE to dismantle the perimeter fence surrounding the facility, ruling it had been erected without proper authorization. By Monday night, work crews took it down under court supervision — a move ABC7 Chicago called “a victory for protesters”. Homeland Security officials, however, warned the decision made agents “less safe” in an already volatile environment.
Bergquam and Newsome: Counter-Protest and Coverage
Bergquam — host of Law and Border on Real America’s Voice — and Newsome, co-founder of Behind Enemy Lines, have made a name for themselves by covering immigration flashpoints across the country.
“Back in Chicago with ICE protesters at the Broadview field office spreading some #MAGA cheer with my brother @TerryNewsome357!” Bergquam posted on X.
His sign read “God Bless ICE” on one side and “Deport Every Illegal” on the other.
The duo’s counter-protest quickly drew a crowd. Videos show sirens blaring, megaphones wailing, and one man in a dinosaur costume confronting them while another protester shouted, “You’re a grown man — what are you doing here?”
Bergquam remained calm, repeatedly saying “Don’t touch, don’t touch,” as demonstrators surrounded him. One protester shoved a sign inches from his face reading “ICE are pedophiles”, while another yelled obscenities through a bullhorn.
Chaos, Confrontation, and Police Response
As the situation escalated, police were called to the scene. According to on-site commentary, a woman wearing a “PRESS” shirt encouraged protesters to file complaints while officers separated the groups.
Bergquam thanked the officers on camera: “God bless ICE! Thank you for your service!”
The tense encounter ended without arrests but left behind a clear illustration of Chicago’s growing divide over federal immigration policy.
A Divided City, a National Debate
The Broadview ICE facility has become symbolic of the national struggle over immigration enforcement. Supporters see ICE as essential to border integrity; opponents view it as an extension of what they call unjust deportation practices.
“Sadly, last night the fence was removed… because of a leftist activist judge’s order,” Bergquam said the following day. “It makes ICE agents even less safe in this criminal-run city.”
Throughout the shouting match, Bergquam tried to steer the conversation toward policy rather than personal attacks:
“Illegals shouldn’t get healthcare. We don’t want our tax dollars funding that. Every single one of them gets due process.”
The Bigger Picture
Sunday’s chaotic scene — sirens, costumes, and shouting — was more than just street theater. It reflected how deeply divided the immigration debate has become.
As Bergquam signed off his live stream, his words cut through the noise:
“God bless ICE. God bless Trump — the Peace President.”
For ICE agents and citizen journalists alike, the fence may be gone, but the battle lines in America’s immigration war are still standing.