A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the use of force by federal immigration agents involved in Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
Judge Sara Ellis accused the government of providing false testimony under oath, citing ongoing aggressive behavior by federal agents in the Chicagoland area.
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During the court proceedings, testimony from elected officials, media personnel, and other individuals described incidents where they were subjected to tear gas and pepper bullets. These accounts played a crucial role in the judge’s ruling.
Judge Ellis noted discrepancies between what the Department of Homeland Security claimed and the body camera footage submitted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), suggesting that the footage contradicted official statements about several incidents over the past two months.
The video evidence reportedly depicted federal agents employing excessive force against protesters, including the use of tear gas without prior warning, creating disorder, and physically pushing protesters to the ground. These actions occurred both at the Broadview ICE facility and on the streets of Chicago.
“It is difficult to see how an injunction requiring the government to follow the constitution could possibly be harmful,” Judge Ellis remarked.
She also disputed statements made during Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino’s own recorded deposition, in which he defended his actions and those of federal agents.
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Although Bovino said, all uses of force and arrests that he’s seen have been – “more than exemplary” and the government has argued, agents have the right to protect themselves.
