A federal judge in Chicago on Monday, October 20, 2025, sharply questioned U.S. immigration officials over their use of tear gas and other aggressive tactics against protesters during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown in the city.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis expressed concern that federal agents may have violated her October 9 order, which required them to wear visible identification and restricted their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. On Friday, Ellis expanded those requirements, ordering agents equipped with body cameras to activate them during immigration enforcement operations and public interactions.
During Monday’s hearing, Ellis approved a request from plaintiffs, a group that includes protesters, journalists, and clergy members, to question several senior officials under oath. Among them is Gregory Bovino, a top U.S. Border Patrol leader. The plaintiffs allege they were deliberately assaulted by federal agents during peaceful demonstrations.
Ellis emphasized that the case focuses strictly on the actions of federal field agents, not the political motivations behind the crackdown.
“I don’t think that it matters what the administration’s objectives are or what goals they have or what ideology is pushing this enforcement action,” Ellis said. “This lawsuit… is all about how our ICE officials and CBP officials are enforcing the laws.”
Tensions between protesters and federal agents, particularly those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have escalated since Trump initiated the operation in early September. The president also ordered National Guard troops into the Chicago area as part of his campaign to combat crime in Democratic-led cities.
A federal court has temporarily blocked the troop deployment, though the Justice Department has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it. Separately, a federal appeals court has permitted the deployment of hundreds of National Guard soldiers to Portland, Oregon, despite opposition from local Democratic officials.
Officials Defend Tactics
At Monday’s session, Ellis questioned Kyle Harvick, a deputy incident commander for CBP, about multiple reports of aggressive encounters between agents and civilians — including one instance in which an officer allegedly pointed a gun at bystanders outside an ice cream shop.
“You could understand how I might be concerned, right?” Ellis asked. “That might be a use of force that is not commensurate with any threat that the agents are getting from people passing by.”
Harvick said he lacked details about the specific incident but defended agents’ overall actions, including the use of tear gas to disperse crowds.
Shawn Byers, deputy field office director for ICE, told the court that 75 individuals had been arrested for obstructing or assaulting federal officers. He denied claims that agents intentionally targeted journalists, noting that some demonstrators who identified as reporters lacked valid press credentials.
However, local police in Broadview, Illinois reported that ICE officers fired pepper balls at a CBS news vehicle during one protest near a detention facility.
President Trump has justified the federal crackdown as necessary to combat urban violence, though data show that Chicago’s murder rate has been declining for several years. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, accused Trump of provoking unrest to justify deeper federal involvement.
Reports have also surfaced of aggressive raids, including federal agents storming apartment buildings and deploying military-style helicopters.
Ahead of Monday’s hearing, Ellis highlighted two particularly concerning incidents. On October 12, federal officers allegedly fired tear gas at residents observing an arrest on the city’s north side. In another case, agents rammed a car carrying two suspects on the southeast side and later deployed smoke grenades and tear gas when onlookers gathered.
In both situations, Harvick maintained that agents had issued warnings and acted appropriately under the circumstances.
