Video of federal agents pushing, arresting 70-year-old protester sparks outrage

Disturbing videos of a 70-year-old protester being pushed to the ground before being arrested Saturday are sparking outrage with veterans groups.

Dana Briggs of Rockford appeared to be standing in front of the gates of the ICE facility in Broadview when a group of masked and heavily armed federal agents poured out and took over a portion of Beach Street immediately adjacent to the facility.

Briggs, who is a veteran, can be seen falling backwards onto the pavement. When other protesters tried to help him up, they are pushed away and Briggs was taken into custody. He has since been charged with assaulting a federal officer. In court Wednesday, he denied the charges.

In front of the same facility on Thursday, veterans groups and civil rights advocates gathered to denounce Briggs' treatment and the actions of the federal officers.

"He was here protesting peacefully," said Jermaine Collins, a veteran organizer for Common Defense.

"Unfortunately, ICE or border control, these masked agents, pushed him to the ground," Collins said.

Demi Palecekis, a protester and a member of the National Guard, spoke at the rally as a private individual and not on behalf of the Department of Defense.

"They don’t know how to use their weapons," she said. "They are trigger happy and they just want to hurt people."

There have been numerous incidents at the Broadview facility where federal agents have allegedly fired tear gas and pepper balls at protesters and the media. ICE denies it ever fired its weapons at the media.

Civil rights organizations like the ACLU worry that the stakes are getting higher in Broadview and on the streets of downtown Chicago, where Border Patrol agents were seen this week walking in large, armed groups down Michigan Avenue.

"When your only tool is force, that is the one you are going to use. And we are seeing an increased use of force and increased use of tools," said Ed Yohnka, a spokesperson for the ACLU.

"Anything from the chemical agents to the projectiles and things like that, I think it's a matter of great concern," Yohnka said.

In response to questions from NBC Chicago, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Briggs struck a female Border Patrol officer, leading to his arrest for assault.

More protests are planned at the facility on Beach Street on Friday and through the weekend.