The Trump administration has made plans for U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents to soon leave the Chicago area, three U.S. officials told CBS News Monday, after taking a leading role in a months-long crackdown that has been marked by controversial arrests and clashes with protesters.
Bovino and many of the green-uniformed Border Patrol agents under his command could depart Chicago as early as later this week, the officials said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal plans.
The plans could change, the officials cautioned, adding that some Customs and Border Protection personnel are expected to stay in Chicago.
The Trump administration deployed more than 200 Border Patrol agents to Chicago, internal government documents show, directing them to play a major role in a highly visible and contentious crackdown in the Windy City known as Operation Midway Blitz.
While the administration has argued the operation was designed to curtail crime and illegal immigration, Border Patrol’s actions and presence in Chicago and its suburbs have been strongly decried by local leaders as heavy-handed and unjustified.
Some of the Border Patrol teams dispatched to Chicago could be diverted to Charlotte, North Carolina for an operation that is expected to start there this month, the U.S. officials said. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, which has a field office in Chicago, is expected to continue carrying out immigration arrests in the region.
Asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security told CBS News, “Every day DHS enforces the laws of this country, including in Chicago. We do not comment or telegraph future operations.”
Bovino, who once led a Border Patrol sector along the California-Mexico border, has become one of the most well-known figures enforcing President Trump’s clampdown on illegal immigration. Earlier this year, he led sweeping Border Patrol operations in the Los Angeles region that generated significant backlash, including arrests at Home Depot parking lots and car washes. Bovino personally participated in some of those sweeps.
In Chicago and surrounding communities, Bovino has followed a similar playbook, joining Border Patrol agents in arrest operations that have often sparked tense confrontations with local residents. He’s also joined federal agents when they’ve repelled protesters using tear gas, pepper balls, pepper spray and other tactics that have come under scrutiny. Agents have also been captured on video pointing guns at civilians.
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis castigated the use of force employed by federal agents during the Chicago crackdown, questioning the justifications cited by Bovino during courtroom testimony. Ellis extended restrictions she first imposed last month that severely limit when federal officers can use tear gas and other crowd control tactics and weapons, and ordered Bovino and his agents to generally display identifiers and wear body-worn cameras.
Trump administration officials have argued the use of force by federal agents has been justified due to violent acts by some protesters. On Monday, federal officials said they arrested a Mexican man in the U.S. illegally who allegedly shot at Border Patrol agents over the weekend.
In an interview with CBS News last month, Bovino called the use of force by his agency “exemplary,” arguing his agents have followed internal protocols. He also said Border Patrol would accomplish its mission in Chicago “when all the illegal aliens utilize the CBP home app and or we arrest ’em all,” referring to an app that lets people in the U.S. illegally notify the government that they will self-deport.
Further pressed on the “marker of success” in Chicago, Bovino said operations are aimed at both arrests and deterrence.
“That’s part of any policing strategy – deterrence,” Bovino said. “Whether it’s to deter a shoplifter in a department store or to deter illegal aliens from both coming across the border and remaining here.”
