Democratic House candidate Kat Abughazaleh indicted over ICE confrontation

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh is among a half dozen people the Justice Department has charged for allegedly impeding an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, according to an indictment obtained by Axios.Why it matters: Abughazaleh is the latest in a series of Democratic politicians facing legal consequences for protest actions against the Trump administration's immigration operations.The 26-year-old progressive, who is a frontrunner in the race to succeed Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), called the charges "a political prosecution and a gross attempt at silencing dissent" in a statement.Her lead opponent in the Democratic primary, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, called the protest "nonviolent" in a statement, saying he hopes "these frivolous charges are dropped immediately."Driving the news: The indictment accuses Abughazaleh and five others of "hindering and impeding" ICE officers by blocking an agency vehicle during an anti-ICE protest in suburban Chicago last month.The indictment alleges that the defendants "banged aggressively on the [vehicle's] side and back windows, hood, and other vehicle body parts" and "pushed against the vehicle to hinder and impede its movement."It also accuses them of scratching the vehicle, etching the word "PIG" into it and breaking a mirror and a windshield wiper.The defendants have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer and one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer, which carry sentences of up to six and eight years in prison, respectively.The other side: "As I and others exercised our First Amendment rights, ICE has hit, dragged, thrown, shot with pepper balls, and teargassed hundreds of protesters, myself included," Abughazaleh said in her statement. She added: "The Trump administration wants you to be afraid of speaking out against it and its anti-democratic power grabs."Viral video of the protest showed Abughazaleh getting thrown to the ground by an ICE officer after standing in front of the vehicle.Editor's note; This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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