Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that she and her staff were denied entry to a government building in suburban Chicago when they attempted to stop for a quick bathroom break — an incident that quickly escalated into a political flashpoint between federal and Illinois state officials. Read More
According to Noem, her team approached the Village of Broadview Municipal Building, located roughly 12 miles west of downtown Chicago, only to be told they could not enter. The DHS Secretary later criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration, accusing local officials of disrespecting federal law enforcement officers amid ongoing clashes near a nearby immigration facility.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Noem wrote, “My team and I were just blocked from accessing the Village of Broadview Municipal Building in Illinois. We were stopping for a quick bathroom break. This is a public building. The Village of Broadview receives at least $1 million in federal funding every year. This is how JB Pritzker and his cronies treat our law enforcement. Absolutely shameful.”
Video of the encounter circulating online shows Noem and her team approaching the building, where one of her staff members asks if they can use the restroom. A voice from inside responds, “No you cannot,” to which Noem replies calmly, “OK, all right, thank you,” before walking away.
The incident comes as tensions continue to mount in Broadview, where federal agents have clashed with protesters outside an ICE detention facility for several consecutive weeks. Local officials and immigration advocates have been demanding changes to security measures in the area, calling the protests a response to alleged mistreatment of detainees.
Following Noem’s remarks, ICE officials defended federal agents working in Broadview, blaming “violent rioters” for much of the unrest and insisting that the facility is operating within federal law.
Village officials offered a different account of Friday’s events. They said Noem had arrived unexpectedly, without prior notice, seeking a meeting with Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson. However, the mayor was not present in the building at the time.
“Since DHS Secretary Kristi Noem appeared this morning, unannounced, at Broadview’s Village Hall asking for a meeting while Mayor Katrina Thompson was out of the building, the mayor returned her visit,” Village of Broadview spokesperson David Ormsby said in a statement.
Ormsby added that Mayor Thompson later went to the nearby ICE facility with the Broadview police chief and several officers, where she requested the removal of what she described as an “illegal fence” outside the property. According to the statement, agents at the gate informed her that the DHS Secretary was unavailable to meet.
The incident underscores the ongoing friction between federal immigration authorities and state and local governments in Illinois, where Pritzker and other Democratic leaders have resisted federal enforcement measures and sought to distance the state from ICE operations.
While Noem’s stop may have been brief, the political fallout appears to be just beginning. Supporters of the DHS chief have accused Illinois officials of hostility toward federal law enforcement, while Pritzker’s allies have dismissed Noem’s account as a political stunt meant to escalate tensions.
