A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily paused a judge’s order requiring Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino to provide daily, in-person updates on immigration enforcement activities in Chicago.
District Judge Sara Ellis, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, had ordered Bovino on Tuesday to appear in person at Northern Illinois District court every weekday at 5:45 p.m. to brief the court on “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Ellis’ demand was part of a broader order that required US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide all use of force reports and body-camera footage since September, amid concerns over federal law enforcement’s response to anti-immigration enforcement protesters.
The judge issued her strict order after expressing concerns that a previous temporary restraining order barring federal immigration agents from using chemical agents, such as tear gas or pepper spray, on protesters, clergy and journalists wasn’t being followed.
The Justice Department appealed Ellis’ order to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals just hours before Bovino was scheduled to check in with the Northern Illinois District court for the first time.
The DOJ argued that forcing Bovino, who is leading the Trump administration’s operation in Chicago, to show up to court everyday would “significantly” disrupt immigration enforcement operations in the Windy City.
“The order significantly interferes with the quintessentially executive function of ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis,” DOJ lawyers wrote in court filing.
Ellis’ order “only underscores the extent to which the district court has exceeded its judicial role by arrogating to itself the role of supervising and micromanaging the day-to-day operations of an Executive Branch law-enforcement agency,” the filing continued.
Bovino, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the DHS chief’s de facto chief of staff Corey Lewandowski have reportedly pushed for a broader and more aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, targeting anyone in the US illegally to boost deportation numbers.
Last month, Bovino said the surge in federal law enforcement in Chicago was aimed at nabbing “the worst of the worst” illegal immigrants with criminal records.
CBP agents have made about 1,500 arrests in the Chicago area since Sept. 16, according to internal DHS statistics, obtained by CBS News.
The same figures show Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have made roughly 1,400 arrests.
Read the full article here
