By Steve Neavling
A federal judge has ordered a top immigration commander to appear in court after agents allegedly violated her order by using tear gas during enforcement operations in Chicago.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis directed CBP Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to attend a hearing Tuesday after attorneys accused him of flouting a temporary restraining order limiting agents’ use of force against protesters and journalists, CBS News reports.
The order, issued Oct. 9, bars agents from using tear gas, pepper balls, or other crowd-control tactics except under exigent circumstances. It also prohibits them from threatening or arresting journalists without probable cause.
In a court filing last week, lawyers for a group of journalists, clergy, and protesters said video shows Bovino tossing at least one tear gas canister into a crowd in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. The footage, streamed live on Facebook near the Discount Mall at 26th and Whipple, shows Bovino in uniform pulling a canister from his belt and hurling it over other agents toward demonstrators.
Attorneys also cited another incident in Old Irving Park on Saturday morning, where chemical agents were reportedly used without warning, another potential violation of Ellis’s order.
The plaintiffs have asked the court to impose sanctions and tighter oversight of federal operations in the city.
CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said the purpose of Tuesday’s hearing remains uncertain.
“Tuesday is, according to what the judge entered, just a status date — it’s not even set for a hearing,” Miller said. “I’m not sure what the reasoning is to tell him he has to be there.”
