CHICAGO (AP) — Tensions in the Chicago area will rise as a federal judge prepares to address allegations regarding the use of excessive force by immigration agents, following a series of recent complaints from residents and activists. The forthcoming hearing is linked to a lawsuit brought forth by news organizations and demonstrators claiming that officials have used undue aggression, particularly involving tear gas during demonstrations.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis has previously implemented mandates requiring agents to wear identification badges and has forbidden specific riot-control tactics, including tear gas, against peaceful protestors and journalists. Frustrated with federal officials for not adhering to her directives, Judge Ellis also mandated the use of body cameras during operations.
This hearing comes after Judge Ellis scrutinized senior Border Patrol officer Gregory Bovino during a public session, even instructing him to provide nightly briefs on the federal response in Chicago, a request that was later suspended by an appeals court.
In a related deposition, Bovino confessed to deploying tear gas in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Little Village and acknowledged being struck by a rock during protests. His testimony is pivotal as it forms the foundation of the questioning regarding the agents' conduct in response to demonstrations.
As part of the upcoming proceedings, attorneys may call upon witnesses including a pastor who sustained injuries from a chemical agent container while praying outside an immigration facility, as well as detainees who have experienced poor conditions at an immigration processing site.
In expected continuing deliberations, a federal judge is also on the path to ruling on a class-action lawsuit that raises significant concerns about the detention conditions immigrants face, condemning the reported overcrowded facilities and inadequate hygiene as inexplicably harsh.
