On Saturday, Gregory Bovino, the chief of the Border Patrol, asserted that his agents came under fire while they were conducting immigration enforcement operations in Chicago. This incident occurred just two days after a federal judge accused him of lying about being struck by a rock during a prior confrontation with protesters in the city.
Bovino, frequently featured on Fox News and a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s efforts for mass deportation, took to social media to report that his agents had been “shot at” and faced numerous threats, including “vehicular assaults, physical assaults, impeding, violent mobs, and vehicular blockades” for several hours.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement indicating that the border patrol agents were performing immigration enforcement near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago when an unidentified male driving a black Jeep allegedly fired shots at them and fled the scene. The DHS confirmed that the Chicago Police Department was called for assistance, and they cleared the area. As of now, the shooter and vehicle remain at large, making this a dynamic situation.
In response to the incident, the Chicago police reported they found no evidence of anyone being struck by gunfire at the location of the alleged shooting. Their statement clarified, “There are no reports of anyone struck by gunfire.” However, one officer was reported to be in good condition after being hit by a vehicle during the operation, and the driver was subsequently ticketed.
While there is currently no video evidence of the alleged shooting, social media clips and news photographs have documented heavily armed agents in camouflage, including Bovino, engaging with protesters. Reports from the Chicago Tribune indicated that for nearly two hours, protesters followed a border patrol convoy, capturing its movements through residential neighborhoods. Local organizers have stated that at least six individuals were detained, including US citizens participating in the protest against the operation.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis stated that Bovino had lied about an incident from late October where he was caught on video throwing a gas canister at protesters without warning, violating a temporary restraining order she had previously issued limiting the use of force. “Mr. Bovino and the DHS claimed that he had been hit by a rock in the head before throwing the tear gas, but video evidence disproves this,” Ellis remarked, according to ABC News. She noted that Bovino ultimately admitted he had not been struck until after he deployed the tear gas.
In a prior statement last month, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the DHS, had also claimed that Bovino had been hit in the head with a rock. This incident follows a trend where federal officers have faced accusations of dishonesty in court concerning their actions during protests.
The crackdown on immigration in Chicago has intensified since September, with the stated goal of targeting dangerous criminals residing in the U.S. illegally. The DHS reports that this initiative has led to over 3,000 arrests, which include U.S. citizens and individuals with no prior criminal history. Recent raids across Chicago and its suburbs have sparked protests and resulted in violent arrests, including an incident where more than a dozen suburban mothers were arrested outside an immigration detention facility in Broadview, a suburb that has become a focal point for dissent against Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”
As tensions continue to rise, the DHS has noted an increase in assaults and obstructions targeting federal law enforcement over the past two months, further complicating the already contentious landscape surrounding immigration enforcement in the city.
