Federal Prosecutor Resigns Over Handling of ICE Protest Case
Sheri H. Mecklenburg, the lead prosecutor in the Broadview Six case, resigned from the Justice Department and said she was directed to pursue felony charges against protesters outside an ICE facility. In her resignation letter, she accused U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros of forcing the prosecution over her objections and then blaming her when it failed. The DOJ disputes her account, and the case had already been dismissed with prejudice by a federal judge.
Sheri H. Mecklenburg, who led the Broadview Six prosecution, left the Justice Department on Thursday and said she was departing in protest. She alleged that U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros required felony charges against six people who demonstrated outside an ICE detention center in Broadview, despite her view that misdemeanors fit better.
Mecklenburg also said she faced termination threats if she challenged the office and that Boutros later blamed her after the case collapsed. The Justice Department rejects her version. A federal judge dismissed the case with prejudice in April after finding Boutros had communicated with grand jurors. The defendants had faced conspiracy counts carrying up to six years; one was then-candidate Kat Abugazaleh.
The resignation may intensify scrutiny of federal prosecutorial independence in politically sensitive immigration cases. Defendants and their supporters could see it as validation of claims that charges were politically motivated, while prosecutors may face greater caution about documenting directives. The public’s trust in DOJ impartiality may be affected, depending on investigations and official responses. It could also influence how future protest cases near ICE facilities are charged.