Politics
Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino Admitted He Lied About Firing Tear Gas, Tackling Protester: Federal Judge
Video: Greg Bovino, head of U.S. Border Patrol, was deposed in federal court on Nov. 4, 2025, as part of a suit over immigration agents’ use of force in the Chicago area during “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who led a series of increasingly aggressive raids across Chicago and its suburbs, lied about firing tear gas at protesters in Little Village and tackling a man outside the Broadview ICE facility, a federal judge said Thursday.
U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis is the second federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois to find that federal agents have presented unreliable testimony about their actions and the actions of Chicagoans in response to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort.
Speaking from the bench from her courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago for nearly 90 minutes, Ellis singled out the conduct of Bovino, whose brash social-media presence and frequent appearances in the media have come to define what the Trump administration calls “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Bovino fired at least two canisters of tear gas at a crowd in Little Village on Oct. 23 during a confrontation sparked by agents’ decision to detain a man at a bus stop near 26th and Whipple streets, prompting a crowd of angry residents to flock to the scene.
Little Village, also called La Villita, is the heart of Chicago’s Mexican American community, and is home to the second largest shopping district in the city, behind only North Michigan Avenue.
“Defendant Bovino admitted that he lied about whether a rock hit him before he deployed tear gas in Little Village,” Ellis said.
In fact, he was not hit by a rock before lobbing a tear gas canister, without warning, at the crowd, Ellis said, adding that Bovino may have been hit after he threw the tear gas canister. In addition, Bovino fired a second canister at the crowd as people fled the area and posed no threat to anyone, Ellis said.
Ellis pointedly noted that that incident occurred after she ordered agents to issue two warnings before deploying tear gas or other “less lethal” crowd control measures and only when there was a clear threat posed by protesters.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin referred to the group of Little Village residents who confronted agents, which included several elected officials, as “rioters.”
“A large crowd of 75 to 100 rioters surrounded law enforcement who set up a perimeter after agents were boxed in by a large box truck. Rioters then shot at agents with commercial artillery shell fireworks,” McLaughlin said. “The mob of rioters grew more hostile and violent, advancing toward agents and began throwing rocks and other objects at agents, including one that struck Chief Greg Bovino in the head.”
Bovino had no visible head injury after the incident.
Video: Greg Bovino, head of U.S. Border Patrol, was deposed in federal court on Nov. 4, 2025, as part of a suit over immigration agents’ use of force in the Chicago area during “Operation Midway Blitz.”
In an interview with CBS News published the day after the incident, Bovino said he and his agents had complied with Border Patrol policy when using force against Chicagoans.
“The use of force that I’ve seen has been exemplary — the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission,” Bovino said. “If someone strays into a pepper ball, then that’s on them. Don’t protest and don’t trespass.”
During his deposition, Bovino doubled down on those remarks.
“The uses of force have been more than exemplary,” Bovino said.
The right to protest actions by the government is protected by the First Amendment.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, Bovino said “If I had more CS gas, I would have deployed it” during the incident in Little Village.
Ellis said it was actually a flash-bang grenade fired by federal agents, not fireworks thrown by protestors.
In addition, Bovino lied about his conduct outside the Broadview ICE facility, where video shows that he “obviously attacks and tackles” a man, Ellis said.
“But Mr. Bovino, despite watching this video (in his deposition) says that he never used force,” Ellis said.
First in Los Angeles and then in Chicago, Bovino has become the face of Trump’s effort to use federal law enforcement agencies to fulfill his promise to conduct the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”
In July, Bovino led a phalanx of military personnel into MacArthur Park, forcing children to flee the park and enraging city officials.
In September, a man charged with assaulting a federal agent was acquitted by a jury after Bovino testified he saw the man drag his arm back and strike an agent with an open palm in the chest.
During the Biden administration, Bovino was reprimanded for referring to undocumented immigrants as “scum, filth and trash.” Bovino said under oath he was referring to a specific undocumented immigrant.
On Sept. 25, Bovino rode down the Chicago River alongside several agents armed with military-style weapons. On Sept. 29, Bovino and dozens of agents marched through downtown Chicago and told WBEZ-FM the agents were arresting people based on “how they look.”
Bovino and other Trump administration officials have shared several Hollywood-style promotional videos of masked, heavily armed officers detaining people who appear to be Latino. One video showed agents rappelling on to an apartment building in South Shore where they said gang members lived. Only one person has been charged with a crime after that raid, which triggered widespread outrage.
A 37-year-old man has been charged with soliciting Bovino’s murder. Although federal officials claimed in public statements that the man is a gang member, those allegations have not been repeated in court filings.
Bovino joined the Border Patrol in 1996. In 2020, Bovino was named chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector.
In 2023, Bovino was briefly relieved of command after he testified critically about conditions along the border under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Bovino was also probed for posting incendiary messages on social media and for an online profile picture of him posing with an assault rifle.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
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