Border Patrol Commander accused of violating court order in Chicago raids
Gregory Bovino violated court order restricting use of tear gas during protests against immigration enforcement
Gregory Bovino, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander who led the massive raids in Los Angeles and Chicago, was charged Thursday with violating a court order that temporarily bars him from using certain tactics to suppress protests or impede news coverage of the operations in Illinois.
According to the indictment, Bovino defied a federal court order restricting the use of tear gas during protests against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement in Chicago.
According to the released court filing, protesters, journalists, and clergy members claimed that Gregory Bovino fired tear gas without issuing the required warning.
The complaint was filed in the court of Judge Sara Ellis, who had issued a temporary restraining order issued on October 9 that prohibits federal agents from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force against journalists and protesters unless there is probable cause to believe the person has committed a crime.
Bovino was recorded on video throwing several tear gas canisters into a crowd during a confrontation between federal agents and protesters in Little Village, Chicago, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
The video, which was broadcast live on Facebook, was recorded this Thursday amid a protest on the second day of immigration operations in the Hispanic neighborhood that resulted in at least half a dozen people being arrested in the raids, including a 16-year-old U.S. citizen, according to authorities.
Images show Bovino, in uniform but without a helmet, throwing at least two tear gas canisters into the crowd of protesters over the heads of other officers.
The confrontation occurred amid “Operation Midway Blitz,” President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation initiative that has resulted in multiple arrests and sparked widespread protests in Chicago. Federal agents, backed by National Guard troops,They clashed with protesters for nearly an hour before Chicago police intervened.
At a recent hearing, top CBP and ICE officials Kyle Harvick and Shawn Byers defended the officers' conduct, insisting that Ellis's order had been widely communicated. However, community groups argue that the repeated violations demonstrate a systematic disregard for judicial oversight.