Border Patrol Commander Accused of Tossing Tear Gas

U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino is accused of throwing at least one tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters in Chicago’s Little Village, conduct plaintiffs say violated a temporary restraining order barring chemical crowd-control measures absent an imminent threat. Attorneys for journalists, protesters and clergy filed a notice of alleged violation and Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to appear in her courtroom Tuesday, expanded his deposition time and stressed preservation of body-worn camera footage. The Department of Homeland Security defended the deployment, saying agents were pelted with rocks and commercial fireworks, that Bovino was struck in the head, and that riot-control measures followed warnings. Plaintiffs cited video and eyewitness accounts that dispute parts of DHS’s account, including whether warnings were given before the canister was tossed. The incident has intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz and bolstered claims in ongoing litigation that federal immigration tactics in Chicago amount to excessive force and efforts to silence the press and protesters.