A 56-year-old widower, a single parent and sole caretaker for four U.S. citizen children, had secured an immigration court date with a strong case for being granted bail, according to his attorney. Despite entering the U.S. legally and securing a work permit, a lawsuit alleges that immigration agents made the man sign a voluntary departure waiver while he was housed in allegedly inhumane conditions at the west suburban Broadview holding facility. Later that day, he was “on the other side of the border.”
The man’s case is detailed in a sweeping class-action lawsuit filed on Friday against immigration officials. The suit alleges dirty and unsafe conditions at the federal holding facility in Broadview, where arrestees are reportedly warehoused for days on end.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Chicago, also accuses officials of denying detainees their right to consult with lawyers, effectively creating a “black box” where those arrested disappear with little ability to contact attorneys. “His children, who are already grieving the loss of their mother from earlier this year, now must process the sudden loss of their father,” the lawsuit stated.
This lawsuit is the first class-action effort to bring accountability and relief to detainees, who allegedly are housed in overcrowded rooms with little contact with the outside world.
### Defendants and Facility Scrutiny
Named as defendants are Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Customs and Border Protection Chief Gregory Bovino; interim Chicago ICE Field Office Director Samuel Olson; and other parties. Agency officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Conditions at the west suburban processing facility have come under harsh scrutiny as the Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement measures in the Chicago area. An August investigation by the Tribune found that the typical detainee was being held for two or three days in a building not equipped for overnight stays—far longer than the usual five or so hours in years past.
“Everyone, no matter their legal status, has the right to access counsel and to not be subject to horrific and inhumane conditions,” said Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead counsel on the suit.
### Grim Conditions at Broadview
The complaint paints a grim picture of the circumstances at Broadview. The facility, used largely as a holding area, has been shrouded in an information vacuum, with few opportunities for attorneys, advocates, and the media to assess conditions firsthand.
During the “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement action, the complaint alleges, the consequences of increased raids and mandatory detention policies in a building meant only as a way station have been “dire, and wholly predictable.”
People are being confined in holding cells with dozens of others and denied basic necessities such as sufficient food and water, menstrual products, and soap. Detainees are forced to sleep on plastic chairs or the concrete floor. Lights are kept on all night, leading to sleep deprivation, and temperatures fluctuate from too hot during the day to freezing cold at night.
Since September’s launch of “Operation Midway Blitz,” conditions have further deteriorated, according to the complaint.
### Denial of Legal Access and Coercion
The complaint also alleges that detainees are often prevented from speaking to their lawyers or obtaining counsel. Officers reportedly tell attorneys they cannot visit their clients, and calls or emails from attorneys go unanswered or are sent to unattended lines.
Meanwhile, detainees are coerced into signing documents that relinquish their rights, as officials attempt to deport individuals without allowing them to appear before an immigration judge.
“Defendants are transferring people to distant detention facilities—or sending them out of the country outright—before their attorneys can locate them and intervene,” the complaint states.
Members of Congress, faith leaders, and others have also been turned away from Broadview, the suit says. “By blocking access to detainees inside Broadview, Defendants have created a black box in which to disappear people from the U.S. justice and immigration systems,” the complaint alleges.
### Accounts of Abuse and Overcrowding
Detainees and their attorneys report a litany of abuses, ranging from malnutrition and medical neglect to racial slurs and dangerous overcrowding.
The facility reportedly has four small holding rooms, two of which are roughly 30 feet by 30 feet. Sometimes, more than 100 people are packed into these spaces for days, leaving no room for detainees to lie down.
One woman described being confined “like a pile of fish.” Another detainee said, “They treated us like animals, or worse than animals, because no one treats their pets like that.” The cells smell strongly of sweat and body odor as men are forced to stand shoulder to shoulder.
Detainee Claudia Pereira Guevara said she asked for a broom to clean but was refused. “Officers never cleaned the room during the five days she was detained from October 2 to 7. There was no soap, no sanitizer, no showers, and no way to wash herself,” the lawsuit alleged. She was forced to wear the same clothes she was arrested in throughout her detention.
### Inadequate Food and Medical Care
Detainees receive no hot meals and no food preparation staff are employed at the facility. Instead, they receive two to three cold sandwiches a day, with no regard for their medical needs.
One attorney reported her 70-year-old diabetic client, who also has high cholesterol and blood pressure, was offered sandwiches for every meal—a harmful diet for his condition.
Another detainee whose religious dietary restrictions were not respected went about four days without eating after officers told him to “take it or leave it.”
A mother arrested during a routine check-in in June was confined with nearly 30 other women, including nursing, pregnant, and elderly detainees, with some held for up to six days.
Chao Zhou, another detainee, had no opportunity to bathe or shower. The only shower facility bore a sign reading “out of order,” and the room reeked of body odor.
### Unsanitary and Neglectful Conditions
Reports describe unsanitary conditions inside the facility. One incident involved a man who defecated in his pants; the soiled clothes were placed in the garbage and left overnight, causing a foul stench.
Another detainee suffered numbness in her lower body, inability to feel her legs, and vomiting but was denied medical attention and not taken to a hospital.
One man, who appeared to have had a heart attack, was mocked by officers who made light of his condition. Another detainee who was foaming at the mouth was only removed after pleas from other detainees; officers previously ignored or sworn at those reporting medical emergencies.
Family members often bring medications to detainees, but ICE reportedly withholds them. One client requiring high blood pressure medication did not receive it despite family members delivering the prescription to the facility. Similar neglect was reported for a pre-diabetic detainee.
### Racial Slurs and Coercive Practices
Detainee Rosalio Pelayo Salgado reported that agents directed racial slurs at detainees and only provided food and water based on perceived “good behavior.”
Another detainee, Rebolledo Altamirano, said officers responded to his requests by telling him he was “not supposed to be here.”
The lawsuit highlights repeated refusals by agents to allow detainees to speak with immigration attorneys. One officer reportedly hung up a detainee’s phone call after hearing the detainee’s lawyer on the line.
ICE allegedly uses these coercive conditions to trick detainees into waiving their rights and signing forms authorizing deportation. Officers have told detainees that signing such forms is mandatory and that they have no right to consult a lawyer.
### Advocacy and Legal Action
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, the MacArthur Justice Center, and the Chicago office of Eimer Stahl.
Outside the detention center, the building has become a focal point for opposition to tactics employed by Border Patrol and ICE agents. Protesters regularly gather there, sometimes clashing with police and federal agents.
The class-action suit seeks to bring accountability to the agencies and relief to detainees subjected to what the complaint describes as overcrowding, unsafe, and inhumane conditions at the Broadview holding facility.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/31/broadview-ice-immigration-lawsuit/