Video: Tear gas deployed on ICE protesters in Illinois

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Federal immigration officers used tear gas and pepper balls in response to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters demonstrating in front of the ICE processing center just outside of Chicago on Friday morning.

The center is being used as the main processing hub for undocumented immigrants who are detained by federal immigration officers and agents during Operation Midway Blitz. Organizers said that they were planning weekly demonstrations at the processing center, which is separate from an ICE detention center.

Protesters chanted, "Save your soul, quit your job" at federal officers, who are part of the large-scale, multi-agency operation that began last week. In response, Department of Homeland Security officers, speaking over a loudspeaker, ordered protesters to disperse, telling demonstrators that they were violating federal law by obstructing officers from doing their job.

Anti-ICE protesters demonstrating at a suburban Chicago ICE processing center were met with tear gas and pepper balls on Friday. (NewsNation video)

Because of state and local "sanctuary" laws, those being detained by ICE during the ongoing immigration enforcement operation are being transported to detention centers in either Wisconsin or Indiana. DHS officials confirmed to NewsNation this week that at least 250 undocumented immigrants have been arrested and detained by federal immigration officers and agents since the start of the ongoing immigration enforcement crackdown.

NewsNation cameras caught protesters blocking vehicles leaving the processing center, which led federal officers to use tear gas and pepper balls in response to the crowds. Among those in attendance on Friday was Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who said she came out to "stand with her neighbors".

"I'm out here today with that same kind of spirit of speaking out and making it clear that this is a time for courage," Stratton said. "It's not just courage, it's action."

Friday's demonstration is larger than previous protests that have taken place in Broadview, where the windows and doors of the ICE facility have been boarded up for weeks. The facility has remained at the center of attention since word spread that DHS officials would be targeting the Chicago area.

Federal officers are using a suburban U.S. Naval Base as a command center. NewsNation previously reported that federal officers and agents were being trained to use flash bang grenades to contain large crowds. President Donald Trump said this week that he planned to deploy the National Guard to Chicago after the guard's current operation in Memphis wraps up.

In addition to ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers and agents, members of the Border Patrol's elite tactical unit, BORTAC, were on the ground on Friday at the facility. Federal officers and agents took protesters into custody after NewsNation video captured demonstrators attempting to block vehicles from leaving the processing center.

This is a developing story. NewsNation will update the story as more information becomes available.