The University of Chicago issued a statement condemning violence after one of its professors was charged with multiple felonies related to an anti-ICE riot in the city.
Eman Abdelhadi, an associate professor at the university, was arrested on October 3 and charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a government employee and two counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. In a statement to Fox News, University of Chicago Director of Public Affairs Gerald McSwiggan said that “safety is a paramount concern at the University of Chicago.”
“Violence runs contrary to the University’s core values of free and open inquiry, dialogue and debate. The University promptly looks into any safety concerns, and takes action if necessary to uphold the safety of the University community,” McSwiggan said.
The university did not clarify whether Abdelhadi remains actively teaching. Her faculty biography page remained visible on the school’s website as of Wednesday morning.
Prior to her arrest, Abdelhadi appeared on a podcast where she spoke against ICE operations in Illinois.
“These people are terrorizing our communities and they’re setting up shop. I mean, in Broadview, ICE has been setting up shop in our backyard. Just brazenly taking up community resources to terrorize this very same community,” she said.
Abdelhadi also posted photos on social media hours before her arrest showing Illinois State Police officers guarding the ICE facility in Broadview, a site that has been the focus of recent protests and clashes with law enforcement.
In a post on Bluesky following her arrest, Abdelhadi thanked supporters for their messages of solidarity.
“I feel fortified by your presence in my life and in the world. I keep thinking about all our neighbors and siblings—hundreds in Chicago alone—who’ve been detained into the unknown of horrendous facilities. We owe them resistance,” she wrote.
“At this point, you are either on the side of protecting our neighbors and protecting our community, or you’re on the side of this administration. There is no neutral ground in this moment. There’s no center left. You’re either resisting or you’re complicit,” she added.
Earlier this year, Abdelhadi appeared at the Socialism 2025 conference, where she sharply criticized her own university.
“F*** the University of Chicago, it’s evil, you know it’s a colonial landlord,” she said. “Like, why would I put any of my political energy into this space? I kind of had a little bit of disdain for people who spent their time doing that,” she said.
