Judge questions federal agents’ tactics in Chicago immigration operation

CHICAGO - Federal immigration and border officials appeared in court Monday to defend their handling of protesters during Operation Midway Blitz.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Ellis called an emergency hearing after saying it appeared agents were violating existing court orders.

What we know:

Ellis said top Chicago-based officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement must sit for federal depositions regarding how the operation is being carried out.

Deputy directors for both agencies testified that they are complying with court rulings on the use of body cameras and force. 

They said all agents will now be equipped with body cameras and that current policy requires three verbal warnings before deploying tear gas, rubber bullets or other nonlethal munitions.

The judge questioned that testimony after viewing cellphone video from a recent high-profile raid on Chicago’s Southeast Side, where protesters gathered and multiple rounds of tear gas were fired.

Agents defended their actions, saying they were struck by objects before using gas.

Ellis also pressed officials to explain the differences between CBP and ICE operations. Officials said the agencies operate largely independently and that many of the high-profile raids — including one involving a Black Hawk helicopter in the South Shore neighborhood — were conducted by CBP, not ICE.

What's next:

The hearing came as Illinois faced a Monday deadline to respond to the Trump administration’s petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings restricting the deployment of the National Guard in the state.

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court on the West Coast ruled Monday that the National Guard could be deployed there.