Federal prosecutors dropped charges Oct. 10 against Paul Ivery, a cafeteria worker at Oak Park and River Forest High School and a longtime community member. Ivery was arrested and charged outside of the Broadview U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Sept. 27 for allegedly assaulting an ICE officer during a protest.
“Paul and his friends and family are thrilled, and so glad that this is over,” said Ivery family representative Scott Sakiyama. “These charges never should have been brought. Paul unnecessarily spent four nights in jail, and that never should have occurred.”
Ivery has an intellectual disability and has “always been in special ed,” according to Michelle Mascaro, a neighbor and family friend who owns the Happy Apple Pie Shop, which employs people with disabilities. Ivery graduated from OPRF.
Mascaro was among roughly 50 members of the Oak Park community that came to his preliminary hearing on Oct. 1 to advocate for his release. A letter written by OPRF junior Nolan Krueger was read aloud by U.S Magistrate judge Gabriel Fuentes. Krueger wrote, “He is always attentive and hardworking no matter what. His absence from our school and community negatively affects me and the students and people he interacts with daily.”
The judge also read a letter from Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman.
“Paul went to Broadview to stand up for people, and people in Oak Park stood up for Paul,” said Sakiyama, adding, “Paul is continuing to encourage people to stand up for those who are unjustly being detained and to continue to fight for justice.”
According to the criminal complaint, Ivery allegedly yelled, “I’ll (expletive) kill you right now” and “do something.” When an agent attempted to detain him, he pulled the agent’s helmet down, briefly exposing the agent to pepper spray.
The Broadview ICE facility has been the site of many protests of Operation Midway Blitz, a crackdown on illegal immigration led by the Department of Homeland Security in the Chicago area since Sept. 8.
