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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday she and her staff were denied entry to a government building in a Chicago suburb, where they attempted to stop for a “bathroom break” as federal agents clashed with protesters outside a nearby immigration facility.
In a post on X, Noem said her team was denied access to the Village of Broadview Municipal Building, located about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago, and blasted Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration for its treatment of federal agents.
“My team and I were just blocked from accessing the Village of Broadview Municipal Building in Illinois,” Noem said. “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.”
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A video of the encounter shows Noem approaching the building with her staff as one person asks through the door, “Can we use your restroom?”
Someone inside can be heard responding, “No you cannot!” before Noem calmly replies, “OK, all right, thank you,” and walks away.
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Village officials said Noem showed up unannounced Friday morning seeking a meeting with Mayor Katrina Thompson, who was out of 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.
“Mayor Thompson went to the ICE center, accompanied by the Broadview Police Chief Thomas, and officers, to ask for the illegal fence to be dismantled. The mayor was told by agents at the gate the secretary was unavailable to meet.”
However, DHS officials insisted the stop was not about a meeting at all.
“She didn’t ask for a meeting. She asked to use the restroom. This is insane,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News.
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The bathroom dispute came as tensions flared outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in Broadview, where more than a dozen people were arrested by federal agents during demonstrations. Fox News observed agents firing pepper balls, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds blocking federal operations.
Earlier Friday, Gov. Pritzker accused Noem of overseeing federal enforcement tactics that he said had violated rights and traumatized families in Illinois. He also said she should “no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without any form of public accountability.”
“Last time when the secretary was here, she snuck in during the early morning to film social media videos and fled before sunrise,” Pritzker’s office said. “It’s been nearly 45 days since Secretary Noem has held an official press conference, so it’s time she faces the public and takes questions from the press to be held accountable for the Trump administration’s gross misconduct.
“Illinois is not a photo opportunity or war zone, it’s a sovereign state where our people deserve rights, respect and answers.”
McLaughlin snapped back on behalf of DHS, accusing Pritzker of failing to protect Illinois residents from violent offenders.
“Grow up and start protecting the people of your own state,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Federal law enforcement has to be here because JB Pritzker refuses to do his job and has allowed violent illegal alien criminals to terrorize Illinois communities for years.”
The Village of Broadview did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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