(Adnkronos) – A group of press associations, NGOs, and unions have sued the Trump administration for what is described as the “extreme brutality” of federal agents aimed at “intimidating and silencing” journalists and civilians during protests in front of the ICE center in Chicago.
“Never in modern times has the federal government undermined basic constitutional protections to this extent or usurped police authority, ordering federal agents to conduct illegal missions against the population for the benefit of the government itself,” reads the complaint, which asks the judge to protect the First Amendment right to peacefully demonstrate around the detention facility for migrants arrested by ICE.
It also asks to protect the right of journalists to “observe, record, and disseminate the activities of federal agents and public demonstrations against them.” Specifically, a series of incidents are cited in which agents targeted reporters, six of whom were hit with tear gas and irritants despite their press badges being clearly visible, Politico reports today.
