CHICAGO — For several weeks in September and early October, highly publicized protests in the small suburb of Broadview roughly 12 miles west of Chicago focused attention to a little-known facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The building kept a low profile for most of its 19-year history. There was a weekly prayer vigil, started by a pair of nuns in 2007 , usually the only crowds attracted to the facility. But the launch of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” Chicago-area immigration enforcement campaign last month drew protesters to Broadview, where they were met by tear gas and pepper balls.

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