U.S. Attorney Drops Charges Against Four Illinois Activists

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced Thursday that his office was dropping charges with prejudice against four activists accused of interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. S. District Judge April Perry. The judge expressed concern over the government's handling of the grand jury that returned the original indictment.

Prosecutors had accused the activists of conspiring to prevent a federal officer from performing official duties during a protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Sept. 26, 2025.

Authorities initially charged six people in October 2025.

Two defendants had their charges dropped in March. The remaining four faced a misdemeanor trial scheduled for next week. The four defendants include former Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, campaign staff member Andre Martin, Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, and Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbitt.

Abughazaleh lost her primary bid for Illinois's 9th Congressional District earlier this year.

During the hearing, the judge said she was "incredibly shocked" by the government's actions. Boutros stated that he was unaware of any misconduct and that prosecutors had followed the court's order. " She indicated she might hold a separate hearing to consider sanctions.

Defense attorney Josh Herman said the case should never have been brought against individuals exercising First Amendment rights. He stated he would seek unredacted transcripts of the grand jury proceedings.