PULSE POINTS
WHAT HAPPENED: A Barack Obama-appointed federal judge has issued a ban on immigration authorities using tear gas and other riot weapons during protests in Chicago, Illinois.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: District Judge Sara Ellis, Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, and protesters, reporters, and faith leaders in Chicago.
WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued during a hearing on Thursday, affecting protests across Chicago neighborhoods.
KEY QUOTE: “The use of force shocks the conscience,” Judge Ellis said during the hearing.
IMPACT: Federal agents are prohibited from using riot control weapons without warnings and must wear body cameras, as per the court’s injunction.
IN FULL
A federal judge has prohibited immigration officials from using tear gas or other riot control tools at protests in Chicago, Illinois. Presiding Judge Sara Ellis, appointed by Barack Obama, rebuked Greg Bovino, a senior Border Patrol executive, claiming his testimony that a protester had hit him with a rock was “simply not credible.”
“Describing neighborhood moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are,” Ellis claimed, glossing over the many far more aggressive demonstrators that attend such events. The lawsuit, brought by activists, news organizations, and clergy, alleged that federal personnel unleashed tear gas and pepper balls on crowds without prior alerts.
Witnesses described agents, directed by Bovino, launching tear gas from unmarked cars and aiming guns at people while issuing menacing statements. The plaintiffs contended these moves were designed to provoke unrest and provide a pretext for escalating federal intervention in the city.
Under Ellis’s order, such weapons are now banned unless agents deliver two clear warnings and face an immediate danger to safety. Immigration personnel are also required to activate body cameras going forward. The restriction remains in effect until a definitive decision or a successful challenge from the Trump administration.
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