Judge has to tell border official that children dressed in Halloween costumes are not a threat

A federal judge in Illinois has admonished the Border Patrol official leading the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Chicago for the harsh tactics he and his officers have been using against angry civilians, including on residential streets decorated for a Halloween parade.

US District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Gregory Bovino, who appeared in his Border Patrol uniform, to appear before her every weekday at 6 p.m. with information about the day’s clashes.

Courtroom reports Tuesday indicated that Bovino was largely forced to listen as Ellis laid out the restrictions he had already put in place. He responded to some questions with a simple, “Yes, ma’am.”

Bovino also pledged to start wearing a body camera on Friday, as Ellis had told officers earlier this month.

The hearing came after video appeared to show federal officials firing tear gas Saturday in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood, which was supposed to host a children’s Halloween parade that same morning. Once word came that federal agents were nearby, the event was canceled, according to Block Club Chicago, a local news site.

Federal immigration officials were already under orders to fire tear gas only after giving two verbal warnings and giving people time to react.

“Children dressed in Halloween costumes, walking toward a parade, do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer,” Ellis said, according to Reuters.

“They just don’t do it. And you can’t use riot weapons against them.”

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Ellis said that for the children, “their sense of security was shattered on Saturday.”

The judge also noted that she has been watching disturbing videos of confrontations between civilians and officers with Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He made a particular comment about the upcoming Halloween holiday.

“I do not want to receive violation reports from plaintiffs showing that officers are out and about on Halloween, where children are present and tear gas is being deployed,” he told Bovino, according to WBEZ Chicago.

After the hearing, the Department of Homeland Security released a bizarre video in support of Bovino, stating that he is “risking his life.”

“We REFUSE to back down from our mission to make America safe,” the department said on social media.

Since September, hundreds of people have been arrested in Chicago as part of the immigration crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to deport immigrants en masse.

Many of the confrontations have developed as community members react angrily when ICE shows up in their neighborhoods to make arrests.

Bovino became the face of the Chicago operation after video emerged that appeared to show him personally throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters. According to Ellis’ instructions, tear gas is not supposed to be detonated over people’s heads or at anyone who does not pose an immediate threat.

Tuesday’s hearing came as part of a lawsuit filed by media organizations and protesters who opposed federal agents’ treatment of protesters. The plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that the officers are inciting people to violence and then claim they need to use violence against them.