By Diana Novak Jones and Ted Hesson
CHICAGO (Reuters) -A federal judge has summoned a top U.S. Border Patrol official leading President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Chicago to appear in court on Tuesday, after a video appeared to show him deploying tear gas potentially in violation of a court order limiting its use against protesters.
Gregory Bovino, a roving Border Patrol operations commander who also played a lead role in immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, was ordered to attend the hearing in person by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who earlier this month barred federal agents from using certain crowd-control tactics following a legal challenge by protesters.
Trump, a Republican, has made Chicago the focus of his aggressive immigration enforcement push during the past two months. Under Bovino’s leadership, federal agents have used tear gas in residential areas and forcibly subdued protesters while attempting to arrest suspected immigration violators—sparking criticism and legal scrutiny.
Three former federal immigration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that it was unusual for a top official to be summoned to court on short notice.
Ellis ordered Bovino’s appearance after the protesters submitted a video they said showed him violating her earlier court order directing federal agents to give multiple warnings before using tear gas and other anti-riot weapons.
In the video, Bovino appeared to toss a canister of gas at protesters who had gathered as federal agents conducted arrests last Thursday in a Chicago neighborhood known for being home to many Mexican immigrants.
In a statement on Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were surrounded by a large group while conducting an enforcement operation. She said some people in the crowd shot fireworks and threw rocks, hitting Bovino in the head, and that agents gave warnings before deploying chemicals.
A DHS spokesperson on Monday defended Bovino and the agency’s crowd-control tactics.
“DHS can think of nobody better to correct Judge Ellis’s deep misconceptions about its mission, and we thank him for his service,” the spokesperson said.
TRUMP’S BLITZ OPERATION FACES RESISTANCE
Trump’s ongoing “Operation Midway Blitz” deportation drive in Chicago has spurred arrests across the city and sparked widespread protests. In response, Trump attempted to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Illinois to quell what his administration called unprecedented violence against federal law enforcement, but the move has been halted for now by another court.
Tuesday’s hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists and clergy in Chicago against Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials earlier this month, alleging they were deliberately targeted and brutalized during demonstrations.
The judge has repeatedly expressed concerns that federal agents are violating her October 9 ruling requiring them to wear visible identification and limiting their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. She later updated her order to require federal officers with body cameras to turn them on while conducting immigration enforcement activity and during interactions with the public.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker)
