The U.S. attorney in Chicago unexpectedly dropped a criminal case involving four activists opposed to ICE on Thursday, among them former Democratic Representative Kat Abu-Ghazaleh. This decision followed a federal judge’s criticism, accusing the prosecution of manipulating the grand jury process to secure indictments.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros stated that his office was dismissing the charges with prejudice after a private session led by U.S. District Judge April Perry. During this hearing, a legal expert appointed by Joe Biden expressed significant surprise regarding the actions of the government.
Boutros claimed he was unaware of any misconduct, including meetings between prosecutors and grand jurors outside official settings and gatherings with jurors who declined to support indictment votes.
Although Boutros did not challenge the accusations, he expressed to the judge that “no one intended to mislead your honor,” asserting that they believed they were adhering to the law as directed by her. However, Judge Perry seemed unconvinced, stating that her trust in the regularity of government operations had been fundamentally broken.
She mentioned that another hearing might take place to explore possible sanctions against Boutros’ office.
The activists were originally charged back in October with conspiring to interfere with federal law enforcement duties and causing potential harm to officers during a protest on September 26, 2025, near an ICE facility in Broadview. Prosecutors alleged that the group “physically blocked” police officers, which resulted in the officers having to slow down to stay safe.
Two of the defendants saw their charges dropped in March, but trial for the other four, including Abu-Ghazaleh, is set for next week. This comes more than two months after she lost a Democratic primary bid for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
Boutros’ office had previously dismissed the felony conspiracy charge the month before amidst ongoing concerns related to the grand jury handling.
“The disclosure of grand jury misconduct leading to these charges being dropped is, unfortunately, not surprising,” remarked Abu-Ghazaleh’s attorney, Josh Herman, who has called for the release of the unredacted grand jury minutes. He emphasized that the prosecution should not have pursued this case against Abu-Ghazaleh and the others for simply exercising their First Amendment rights.
Aside from Abu-Ghazaleh, the indictment also includes former campaign staffer Andre Martin, Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw, and Chicago’s Democratic Commissioner Michael Rabbitt.
