Trump DOJ's conduct during anti-ICE protest case shocks experts: 'Completely staggering'

Transcripts from the Department of Justice's prosecution of the "Broadview Six" anti-ICE protesters have left experts who read them shocked.

The Broadview Six were a group of protesters federally charged after demonstrating outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Illinois in 2025.

On Thursday, Judge April Perry, who presided over the case, ordered DOJ prosecutors to appear in court to explain their conduct before a grand jury when seeking an indictment. The DOJ's case came to a sudden end shortly after, when a U.S. Attorney dropped all charges days before a trial was set to begin.

According to transcripts from the Thursday hearing, Perry said that she had "never seen the types of prosecutorial behavior" that were displayed by DOJ prosecutors before a grand jury in 2025.

"I do believe deeply in the presumption of regularity and that most government attorneys are doing the best they can do to do the right thing," Perry said. "That trust has been broken."

"This is completely staggering," wrote Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow for the American Immigration Council, in reaction to Perry's comment about DOJ prosecutors breaking trust.

Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner noted that Perry mentioned a "potential" for "sanctions for prosecutorial misconduct and for potential ethical violations, including lack of candor."