Folks, there’s a situation brewing in Illinois that’s hotter than a Texas summer sidewalk, and it’s got more layers than a West Texas onion.

On a crisp October morning outside Chicago’s Broadview ICE facility, a political powder keg ignited when congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh squared off against the Department of Homeland Security.

Abughazaleh, running in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District with the enthusiasm of a jackrabbit on a date, has been raising more ruckus than a rooster in a henhouse since a viral video showed her being shoved to the ground by an ICE agent on September 19. That incident, as they say back home, has stirred up more controversy than a rattlesnake in a boot shop.

“Kristi Noem is here right now to ensure that her crimes against humanity continue unimpeded,” Abughazaleh declared through a megaphone, her words cutting through the autumn air like a hot knife through butter. “We are here to make sure that does not happen. So, let us in, give us justice, and tear this gate down.”

DHS isn’t taking these accusations lying down. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin fired back faster than a prairie lightning bolt, calling Abughazaleh’s actions “dishonest, desperate, and demonizing law enforcement to try to get 5 minutes on MSNBC and some fundraising cash.”

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The young candidate, who’s about as subtle as a bull in a china shop, has been making waves bigger than a nor’easter with her stance on immigration. She’s called the Broadview facility a “war zone” and claimed the government is “waging war on peaceful protesters.”

Abughazaleh alleges there are “reports of people being held for days or weeks at a time without beds or hot meals or access to hygienic facilities.” She speaks of grandmothers and pregnant women sleeping on concrete floors, painting a picture darker than a moonless night in the Piney Woods.

The tension outside Broadview is thick enough to cut with a knife, with Secretary Noem’s visit adding fuel to an already blazing fire. This facility, meant for processing folks for no more than 12 hours, has become ground zero in America’s immigration debate.