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What a pastor saw ICE do to protesters outside Chicago

1 12
25.10.2025
Police and demonstrators near the “Free Speech Zone” outside of the immigrant processing and detention center on October 17, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview located outside of Chicago has become a focal point for protesters who want to resist the agency. A viral photo of an ICE agent at the site pepper spraying a pastor in the face has come to exemplify the aggressive and violent tactics federal officers are using to corral the demonstrations.

The Rev. Quincy Worthington was there the night his friend, the Rev. David Black, was shot in the back of the head with a pepper bullet and pepper-sprayed in the face, and has returned every weekend since. He’s seen ICE agents hit protesters with batons, shoot pepper balls and rubber bullets, and deploy flash-bangs into the crowd. Worthington says his faith is what keeps him going back after some of the scariest nights of his life.

Below is a conversation between Worthington and Today, Explained host Noel King. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.

Where did this start for you?

At the beginning of September, I went to a Faith........

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