Conservatives reject Gen Z House candidate’s First Amendment claim after federal indictment

Conservatives are not holding back on social media after Gen Z congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was indicted Wednesday by the Justice Department for blocking vehicles outside a federal immigration facility last month.

Abughazaleh “physically impeded and hindered” a federal agent who was “forced to drive at an extremely slow speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators,” according to the indictment. The charges stem from Abghazaleh’s protest at an immigration detention center in Broadview, Illinois, where law enforcement was forced to make arrests and take non-lethal measures to control angry protesters.

After news of the indictment hit the Internet, many conservatives posted on social media the acronym “FAFO,” which stands for “F–k Around And Find Out.” Others took the opportunity to highlight Abghazaleh’s relationship with the CEO of satirical news site The Onion, Ben Collins, and his experience working for the left-wing media watchdog group Media Matters for America. One person pointed out that she was a bartender before entering politics, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., before she was elected.

Far-left Chicago UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR charged with violent crimes during anti-ice riots in Broadview

Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh holds a megaphone in front of the Broadview ICE processing plant, September 26, 2025. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)

“This crazy Democratic congressional candidate physically pushed and blocked an ICE vehicle from conducting official business, was charged, and now says it was ‘free speech,’” conservative strategist Rogan O’Handley said on X. “FAFO.”

“Far-left congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, who worked for the left-wing group Media Matters, has been federally indicted,” said conservative journalist and commentator Andy Ngo. “She was recorded on video physically obstructing government officials. She lies on social media, claiming her speech is under attack.”

“No one is above the law,” Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, said on X.

“You surrounded and physically blocked a federal agent’s car because illegal aliens are being deported,” former Trump White House aide Greg Price posted on X in response to a clip of Abghazaleh claiming his First Amendment rights were being violated.

“MDR just found out that Kat Abughazaleh is dating Ben Collins,” said Will Chamberlain, senior attorney for the Internet Accountability Project and the Article III Project. “Perhaps this brazen criminality was just a desperate way to escape his clutches.”

“This former Media Matters blogger turned congressional candidate attacked and obstructed federal agents at an ICE facility and now plays victim when the blame is taken,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on

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But Illinois Democrats, competing directly with Abughazaleh to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, decided to avoid condemning their opponent and instead focused their anger on federal immigration officials and the Trump administration.

Kat Abughazaleh, candidate for the United States House of Representatives, on CNN’s NewsNight. (Screenshot/CNN)

Abughazaleh responded to the indictment by posting a video about »

Evanston, Ill. Mayor Daniel Bliss (D-) and Democratic Sen. Laura Fine, both running against Abughazaleh, echoed Abghazaleh’s message of political persecution by the Trump administration after the indictment was announced.

“The only people who engaged in violent and dangerous behavior in Broadview were ICE,” Bliss said of the indictment against Abughazaleh, which also included charges against five other protesters, according to local newspaper Evanston Now.

“As someone who has repeatedly protested in Broadview, I know that these protests are nonviolent protests against the kidnapping of our neighbors,” Bliss continued. “Now the Trump administration is targeting protesters, including political candidates, in an effort to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won’t work.”

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“Today it’s Kat. Tomorrow it could be any of us,” Fine wrote in a press release she shared on social media. “This administration wants to rob us of our empathy – to make us afraid to fight for each other. But we cannot abandon the values ​​that make us who we are. We are a community that shows up, puts arms together, and refuses to look away. No charges, no threats, no acts of intimidation will change that.”