Appeals Court Blocks Border Patrol Briefings on Chicago Immigration Sweeps

CHICAGO (AP) — An appeals court temporarily blocked an order on Wednesday that required a senior Border Patrol official to provide daily briefings about immigration sweeps in Chicago. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the one-page stay before Greg Bovino‘s scheduled meeting with U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis.

Judge Ellis mandated the briefings following tense encounters involving federal agents in Operation Midway Blitz, which has led to over 1,800 arrests and numerous complaints of excessive force. She demanded the updates to ensure compliance with a temporary restraining order concerning the use of tear gas during operations.

The decision by the appeals court intervened just hours before Bovino, who leads the Border Patrol’s sector in El Centro, California, was to discuss enforcement tactics in Chicago. The Justice Department called the judge’s order “extraordinarily disruptive,” asserting that it interferes with the executive function of immigration law enforcement.

Ellis’s concerns were heightened by recent incidents where tear gas was deployed during immigration enforcement actions. One such occurrence took place last weekend in a neighborhood near a Halloween parade, prompting the judge to voice her fear of agents being out with children present.

“Halloween is on Friday,” Ellis remarked. “I do not want to get violation reports showing that agents are using tear gas where kids are present.”

In an interview with Fox News earlier Wednesday, Bovino expressed eagerness to discuss the situation with Ellis, stating that the judge would witness firsthand the challenges faced by law enforcement in Chicago. “If she wants to meet with me every day, then she’s going to see just how bad things really are on the streets,” he said.

Adding to the legal turmoil, Kat Abughazaleh, a congressional candidate, and five others were indicted for allegedly blocking agents during protests at an immigration enforcement building, which Abughazaleh claimed was an attempt to silence dissent.

The court’s ruling comes amid ongoing legal battles across the country concerning the federal enforcement of immigration law, particularly as other states seek to limit federal troop deployments. The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration’s ability to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago until at least mid-November.

The appeals court granted the government’s request to pause the requirement for daily briefings but affirmed that Bovino still must comply with other court orders regarding use-of-force reports from the past few months. Legal debates are set to continue as both parties prepare for the next hearing scheduled for November 5.