Border Patrol Chief Faces Inquiries Regarding Chicago Immigration Enforcement Measures

Share and Follow

A high-ranking Border Patrol officer, Gregory Bovino, is scheduled to appear in court this Tuesday amid allegations of deploying tear gas during a law enforcement operation in Chicago.

Legal documents feature an image showing Bovino seemingly hurling a tear gas canister towards demonstrators in Chicago’s Little Village area. Captured on video by a protester, the footage suggests Bovino may have launched one or two canisters over fellow federal agents, aiming at the crowd of protesters.

In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that Bovino acted after protesters turned violent, throwing rocks, fireworks, and various objects at the agents. According to a DHS spokesperson, Bovino was hit in the head by a rock during the incident.

However, local community members assert that there was no prior warning issued before the tear gas was deployed.

A photo taken from video shot by a protester seems to show Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino tossing a canister of a chemical agent during an encounter with protesters in Chicago. (Federal Court filing)

Agents ordered to wear body cameras in Chicago area

Earlier this month, a judge ordered uniformed immigration agents in Illinois to wear body cameras, the latest step in a lawsuit brought by news outlets and protesters accusing federal agents of using excessive force, including tear gas, during protests against immigration operations.

Bovino is chief of the Border Patrol sector in El Centro, California, one of nine sectors on the Mexican border. He is also accused of violating the judge’s temporary restraining order, under which federal agents were barred from using riot control methods such as tear gas unless there is an imminent threat.

Judge Sara Ellis has requested to see the body-camera footage from the incidents last week as part of Bovino’s deposition. She also reminded federal agents to preserve their body camera video.

Force by federal officers is ‘exempliary’: Bovino

Bovino has overseen the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement effort in Illinois, known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” which began Sept. 7. In an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Bovino said more than 2,700 arrests have been made during the effort.

In the interview, Bovino defended the use of force by federal officers, calling it “exempliary,” which he defined as “the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission.”

Bovino added that, to his knowledge, no federal agents or officers are under investigation for, or have been disciplined, for their use of force against protesters or others who have engaged with federal officers during the operation.

‘s Jeff Arnold and Mills Hayes contributed to this report.