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Judge Issues Sweeping Injunction Curbing Federal Force in Chicago Immigration Operation

The judge said video evidence undermined the government’s account.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis replaced her expiring temporary order with a preliminary injunction restricting tactics used by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz.
  • Ellis said the government’s evidence was "simply not credible" and found Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino lied about multiple incidents, including his own use of force.
  • Videos and testimony detailed indiscriminate tear gas, pepper‑ball strikes to the face, guns pointed at people recording, and a clip of a man pinned to the ground saying, "I can’t breathe."
  • In deposition, Bovino defended agents as "more than exemplary," while a Border Patrol supervisor described threats from protesters; an appeals court earlier halted Ellis’s directive for Bovino to brief her daily.
  • Separately, Judge Robert Gettleman ordered immediate improvements at ICE’s Broadview facility, requiring mats, hygiene supplies, twice‑daily cleaning, three meals, water upon request, access to medications and private lawyer calls, and a ban on deceptive forms.