7th Circuit halts daily court-appearance order in Chicago crackdown

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to appear in federal court each weekday to report on enforcement activity tied to Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago after videos and complaints showed agents deploying tear gas and using force during recent operations, including an episode near a neighborhood Halloween event. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis required Bovino to provide daily updates, turn over all use-of-force reports and body-worn camera footage since the operation began in early September, and ensure agents wear body cameras and conspicuous identification while interacting with the public. Hours later, a federal appeals court put the daily-appearance requirement on hold and ultimately ruled that Bovino need not report to court every day, finding the order intruded on the Executive Branch.

Ellis said the measures were aimed at ensuring transparency and compliance with a temporary restraining order she issued in October that limited the use of chemical agents and other crowd-control tactics unless officers faced an immediate safety threat and had issued explicit warnings. "Children at a Halloween parade do not pose an immediate threat...