Judge orders Border Patrol commander to appear over tear gas incident

Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas Thursday in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side after a confrontation with residents, and a federal judge has ordered the Border Patrol commander seen on video apparently tossing a canister into the crowd to appear in court. Attorneys for protesters, clergy and journalists who have sued the government say the incident violated a temporary restraining order that restricts the use of chemical agents and crowd control tactics unless there is an imminent threat to safety.

Video reviewed by attorneys and filed with the court appears to show Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino throwing a canister toward people who had gathered near the Discount Mall around 26th and Albany as federal agents detained several people. Local officials said those detained included a 16 year old U.S. citizen. Community leaders and state Rep. Edgar Gonzalez said the group that confronted agents was unarmed and that officers did not issue warnings before deploying the chemical agent. Gonzalez said, "The community members were not armed. They were angry and yelling at them, but no one had weapons. I was teargassed and pushed by the agents."