A federal judge in Chicago has taken an extraordinary step against a senior Trump administration border official — a move critics say sets a troubling precedent for judicial overreach into lawful immigration enforcement.
US District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol leader spearheading the Trump administration’s urban enforcement effort known as Operation Midway Blitz, to appear in court every weekday to personally report on his team’s actions. The operation has led to over 3,000 arrests since September, targeting criminal activity linked to illegal immigration networks in Chicago.
The judge’s rebuke followed an incident over the weekend in which federal agents reportedly deployed crowd-control measures during a confrontation in a neighborhood preparing for a Halloween parade. Ellis lectured Bovino, saying, “Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer. They just don’t. And you can’t use riot control weapons against them.”
The dispute stems from an earlier court order restricting federal agents’ use of force after activist groups and media organizations sued, accusing Border Patrol and other federal officers of “extreme brutality.” Ellis had previously ruled that agents must issue two verbal warnings before deploying tear gas and later required all personnel to wear body cameras.
Now, Bovino himself must wear one — and complete training by Friday. Appearing in his green fatigues, he responded simply: “Yes, ma’am.”
Ellis clarified, “My role is not to tell you that you can or cannot enforce validly passed laws by Congress … My role is simply to see that in the enforcement of those laws, the agents are acting in a manner that is consistent with the constitution.”
But for many observers, the optics are unmistakable: a federal judge inserting daily court appearances and personal monitoring into the chain of command of a Border Patrol operation authorized under existing federal law.
Bovino, who leads the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector in California, has become one of the key figures in President Trump’s renewed interior enforcement initiative — an effort aimed at restoring border integrity and tackling the surge of illegal immigration impacting major U.S. cities. Operation Midway Blitz reflects a broader push to assist overwhelmed local law enforcement agencies dealing with rising crime, gang violence, and cartel-linked trafficking.
In Los Angeles, agents under Bovino’s coordination were involved in high-risk arrests where doors were breached and suspects taken into custody. Immigration advocates argue such operations blur the lines between immigration enforcement and urban policing. Supporters counter that they fill a void created by years of lax border policy and sanctuary city protections that shield offenders from deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the latest ruling. Federal officials have stated in hearings that riot control gear was used only in response to legitimate threats, though the judge said no proof was offered in court.
Ellis specifically cited video of Bovino throwing a tear gas canister in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood — a largely immigrant community — and questioned the tactics used in Old Irving Park, which she described as “a fairly quiet neighborhood [with] a lot of families, a lot of single-family homes.”
“These kids, you can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered on Saturday,” she said. “And it’s going to take a long time for that to come back, if ever.”
While critics see heavy-handed tactics, supporters view the operation as a much-needed assertion of federal authority to restore order in cities where local officials often tie the hands of police. The judge’s new oversight requirements mark an unprecedented intrusion into executive law enforcement, effectively transforming courtroom supervision into operational control — a move some legal analysts warn could undermine agents’ ability to respond swiftly to real threats.
For now, Bovino has agreed to comply. But the question remains: who’s truly in charge of enforcing America’s laws — the elected government, or the bench?
It would be helpful to see some pictures of video of the conflict in question. Nobody is talking about this. You think MSM would be having a field day?