A federal judge in Chicago, Illinois on Monday questioned a US immigration official about several incidents in which force was used against protesters and bystanders during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city.
US District Judge Sara Ellis expressed concern that agents may have violated her October 9 order requiring them to wear visible identification and to issue warnings before using tear gas or other anti-riot weapons.
Last week, Ellis ordered officers equipped with body cameras to keep them switched on during immigration enforcement operations and when dealing with the public.
Judge raises concern over agents’ conduct
During Monday’s hearing, Ellis questioned Kyle Harvick, a deputy incident commander for US Customs and Border Protection, about several tense encounters, including one in which an officer allegedly pointed a gun at bystanders near an enforcement action outside an ice cream shop.
“You could understand how I might be concerned, right?” Ellis said, according to Reuters. “That might be a use of force that is not commensurate with any threat that the agents are getting from people passing by.”
Harvick said he was not aware of that specific incident but defended the agents’ actions in other cases, saying the use of tear gas against protesters was justified.
Crackdown sparks clashes
Clashes between federal agents and protesters, particularly those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have increased since Trump launched his immigration crackdown last month.
The president also ordered the deployment of National Guard troops, including hundreds from Texas, to the Chicago area as part of his broader campaign to send military personnel to cities led by Democrats, saying it was to “fight crime.”
A federal judge has temporarily blocked that deployment, but the Justice Department has asked the US Supreme Court to allow the plan to proceed.
Trump has often described Chicago as a city plagued by violent crime a claim disputed by data showing that murder rates have been falling for several years, although they remain higher than in some other large US cities.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has accused Trump of trying to provoke unrest to justify further federal intervention.
Lawsuit alleges excessive force
The case before Judge Ellis stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this month by protesters, journalists, and clergy against Trump, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other officials. The suit alleges that the government targeted and assaulted demonstrators during protests.
Ahead of Monday’s hearing, Ellis referred to two incidents that raised concern. On October 12, federal agents fired tear gas at residents observing an arrest in north Chicago.
In another case, agents rammed a car carrying two men during a pursuit in the city’s southeast, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When crowds gathered, agents fired smoke grenades, pepper balls, and tear gas to disperse them.
Footage shared online showed a couple with an infant running through the tear gas, though Reuters has not verified the video.
In court, Harvick said agents gave warnings before acting and that their response was “appropriate under the circumstances,” according to Reuters.
