Judge Orders Weekday Briefings from CBP Commander

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino to appear in federal court each weekday at 6 p.m. to brief her, to wear a body camera, and to produce all use-of-force reports and related video from Sept. 2 through the most recent Saturday by each Friday. The real-time oversight follows Ellis's finding of multiple incidents that may have violated her temporary restraining order restricting tear gas, tackling, failure to identify, and other crowd-control tactics. Videos and witness accounts cited in court include agents deploying tear gas near an Old Irving Park Halloween parade and clashes in Little Village. The enforcement operation, reported as Operation Midway Blitz, has resulted in more than 1,800 arrests and prompted a lawsuit by news organizations and protesters alleging excessive force and threats to press freedoms. In court, Bovino testified he would abide by the TRO; Ellis reiterated protections for journalists and the public and said she would retain oversight through at least the upcoming hearings.