DHS is Now Denying Court Footage of Protests

CHICAGO – In a move that’s drawing sharp rebukes from civil rights advocates and journalists, the Department of Homeland Security is refusing to turn over unedited drone footage of a high-profile immigration enforcement incident, despite a clear federal court directive.

The standoff centers on video capturing Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino, a key figure in the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation push, allegedly hurling tear gas into a crowd of protesters in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on October 23.

The footage in question – raw drone recordings from the chaotic scene – was supposed to be handed over by last Wednesday, October 29, under an expedited discovery order issued by U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis.

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But a coalition of plaintiffs, including the Chicago Headline Club and various civil rights groups, filed an emergency motion on Tuesday accusing DHS of outright defiance.

“Defendants have simply refused to produce drone footage… despite the Court ordering its production,” the motion reads, emphasizing that the agency didn’t even bother seeking an extension or reconsideration from the bench.

Bovino Goes on a Power Trip

This isn’t the first time Bovino, 55, has found himself in the crosshairs of Judge Ellis’s courtroom. The Obama-appointed jurist, also 55, summoned him to testify last week after video evidence surfaced showing him personally launching at least one – and possibly two – tear gas canisters toward demonstrators without audible warnings.

The clips, shared widely on social media, depict Bovino lobbing the devices over the heads of his own agents into a group that included residents and reporters. One canister appeared to arc directly over the crowd, landing amid bystanders who scattered in panic.

Bovino nodded in court when Ellis confronted him about the deployment, but DHS has maintained that the action was justified after protesters allegedly pelted agents with rocks and fireworks.

DHS’s public response painted a starkly different picture. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the clash, the agency labeled the gathering a “riot” and released selectively edited body-cam and drone clips claiming a rock had “struck Chief Greg Bovino in the head” while his team was hemmed in by a “hostile mob.”

“Agents properly used their training,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement defending the munitions. “The use of chemical munitions was conducted in full accordance with CBP policy and was necessary to ensure the safety of both law enforcement and the public.”

Yet plaintiffs argue the full, unedited feeds are essential to verify these claims – especially since publicly available videos don’t show Bovino being struck or agents issuing the two prior warnings mandated by Ellis’s temporary restraining order from earlier this month.

That order, issued October 6, bars federal agents in northern Illinois from dispersing crowds or deploying tear gas and other crowd-control tools unless there’s an “imminent threat” to safety – and even then, only after clear verbal alerts.

The Little Village episode marked a potential breach just weeks after the ruling, prompting Ellis to haul Bovino in for questioning and initially require him to check in daily with the court on enforcement activities. That check-in mandate was later paused by a federal appeals court on October 31, which ruled it overstepped into executive branch territory.

But the judge didn’t let up during the October 28 hearing, grilling Bovino on why he wasn’t wearing a body camera – a requirement she’d stressed was “not a suggestion” but an “order.”

He agreed to get trained and equipped by the following Friday. The defiance over the drone video fits into a broader pattern of friction between DHS and the courts amid “Operation Midway Blitz,” the administration’s Chicago-focused crackdown that kicked off in early September and has netted over 3,000 arrests, per official tallies.

Bovino, a California-based veteran of Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, has emerged as the on-the-ground architect of these sweeps, often leading raids with dramatic flair – from Black Hawk helicopter insertions to horseback charges in Los Angeles parks.

Critics, including local clergy and journalists, say his “Green Army” – as detractors dub the tactical teams – has terrorized neighborhoods, targeting not just undocumented immigrants but U.S. citizens and bystanders in the crossfire.

“Sense of Safety Shattered”

Take the October 25 melee in Old Irving Park, where agents allegedly unleashed tear gas on families en route to a kids’ Halloween parade, forcing its cancellation. Judge Ellis didn’t mince words in court: “Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade don’t pose an immediate threat,” she told Bovino, adding that the “sense of safety was shattered” for children exposed to the gas in a school parking lot.

A 67-year-old U.S. citizen, a member of a local running club, ended up with broken ribs and internal bleeding after a clash there, according to a lawsuit filed by affected residents.

Then there was the October 31 incident in Evanston, where body-cam footage showed a Border Patrol agent repeatedly punching a U.S. citizen in the head during an arrest. DHS claimed the man had “aggressively tailgated” their vehicle and grabbed an agent’s genitals, justifying “defensive strikes.”

But multiple angles of the video contradict that – his hands are clearly visible and nowhere near the agent’s groin as the blows rain down.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss didn’t hold back: “They’re a bunch of liars,” he said, accusing agents of “forcing” a car crash to escalate the stop. Other clips from the scene captured an agent aiming a firearm at a woman bystander and pepper spray dousing filmmakers, leaving several needing paramedic treatment for exposure.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, often dubbed “ICE Barbie” by critics, has doubled down on the operations despite pushback. She rejected an appeal from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to pause raids over Halloween weekend, vowing to keep the pressure on.

In a post-hearing X clip, DHS shared footage of Bovino exiting the courthouse amid protesters and declared, “We REFUSE to back down from our mission to make America safe,” contradicting his attacks on Americans expressing their freedoms.

A department spokesperson echoed that sentiment, saying of Ellis’s scrutiny: “DHS can think of nobody better to correct Judge Ellis’ deep misconceptions about its mission.”

Bovino’s Deposition is Coming Soon

The plaintiffs’ Tuesday motion demands Ellis compel DHS to release the drone video immediately – by today, November 4 – to prevent what they call “cherry-picking” of evidence.

Without the full context, they argue, it’s impossible to scrutinize whether Bovino’s team followed protocols amid a surge of complaints about excessive force near homes, schools, and even a kids’ event

Bovino’s deposition, expanded to five hours, is set for later this week, with a preliminary injunction hearing looming on November 5.

As tensions simmer in Chicago’s immigrant-heavy enclaves, the case underscores a deepening rift: the administration’s pledge to ramp up deportations clashing head-on with judicial oversight and local outrage.

Bovino, who’s faced everything from a $10,000 bounty posted by crime syndicates to deposition grillings, remains unapologetic. In a CBS News interview hours before one filing, he shrugged off the backlash: “If someone strays into a pepper ball, then that’s on them. Don’t protest, and don’t trespass.”

DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the footage dispute. For now, the raw video sits locked away, leaving unanswered questions about what really unfolded in Little Village – and whether the courts can force transparency in an operation that’s left scars on more than just those targeted for removal.

Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity

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