DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Denied Bathroom Access in Illinois Municipal Building

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that she and her staff were denied access to a bathroom at the Village of Broadview Municipal Building in Illinois, calling the incident “absolutely shameful.” According to Noem, her team was traveling when they stopped for a brief restroom break, only to be blocked from entering the federally funded public building.

“My team and I were just blocked from accessing the Village of Broadview Municipal Building,” Noem wrote on X. “This is how JB Pritzker and his cronies treat our law enforcement.” A video posted online shows a woman inside telling Noem’s team, “No, you cannot,” when asked to use the restroom. Noem responded calmly and left without further confrontation.

The incident adds fuel to an already tense feud between the Trump administration and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Village officials claimed Noem appeared unannounced and was seeking a meeting with Mayor Katrina Thompson, who was not in the building at the time. They said Thompson later went to the local ICE facility to confront federal agents over an allegedly illegal perimeter fence.

DHS strongly denied the mayor’s version of events. “She didn’t ask for a meeting. She asked to use the restroom,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “This is insane.”

The bathroom spat unfolded as federal agents faced off with anti-ICE protesters outside the Broadview processing center. Tear gas and rubber bullets were deployed to disperse crowds. Pritzker accused Noem of “gross misconduct,” while her office slammed his comments as “political theater.”