A federal judge has ordered the head of the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement in Chicago to appear in court on Tuesday morning for direct questioning.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, overseeing a lawsuit filed by multiple news organizations regarding alleged excessive use of force by ICE and Border Patrol agents against journalists in Chicago, issued the order on Friday.
This order followed an incident where federal immigration officers surrounded a construction worker near Belmont and Broadway in the Lakeview neighborhood. Agents reportedly deployed tear gas on a nearby residential street after being filmed and yelled at by residents.
On Thursday, the attorneys representing the plaintiffs submitted a motion claiming that Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino recklessly fired a tear gas canister into a crowd in Little Village without prior warning. A federal spokesperson responded that Bovino had been hit in the head with a projectile thrown by a protester.
Employing tear gas against individuals without provocation might breach a temporary restraining order Ellis issued earlier, which mandates that immigration officers give adequate warning to protesters before using chemical agents.
The order also prohibits other aggressive tactics, such as “using force to tackle or shove someone to the ground when they pose no immediate threat.”
Earlier in the week, Judge Ellis interrogated two senior federal officials about local immigration enforcement and initially permitted the plaintiffs’ attorneys a two-hour deposition with Bovino. After new allegations surfaced regarding his involvement, she extended this to five hours. By Friday, she insisted on his direct appearance in court.
“The Court sets a status hearing for 10/28/2025 at 10:00 AM,” Ellis stated. “The Court orders Defendants to produce Defendant Gregory Bovino in person for this hearing.”
The attorneys representing the Chicago Headline Club and several news organizations filed fresh allegations on Thursday, asserting that “Bovino was personally present in Little Village, allegedly throwing tear gas into a crowd unjustifiably.”
On Tuesday, the attorneys for the news organizations also sought to classify the lawsuit as a class action, expecting a number of claims from individuals beyond journalists, including incidents of excessive force while practicing their religious rights.
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Tim Hecke is the managing partner of CWBChicago. He began his career at KMOX, the esteemed news radio station in St. Louis. He subsequently worked at various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim later established syndicated radio news and content services for all of America’s 100 largest radio markets and became CWBChicago’s managing partner in 2019.
His email address is tim@cwbchicago.com
