U.S. Border Patrol agents, who have been conducting immigration enforcement operations in Lake County and the Chicago area, are expected to leave within days as President Trump again calls for troop deployment.
The Chicago Tribune, citing several unnamed sources, reported that U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was expected to leave Chicago for another assignment “within days.”
Bovino is a high-ranking official with the U.S. Border Patrol. He is the commander tasked with leading the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.
Most of the Border Patrol agents under his command would also be redeployed elsewhere.
An on-call task force of federal prosecutors and FBI agents was also expected to cease work on the immigration mission, the Tribune reported.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to confirm the news and said that they enforce the laws of the country “every day,” including in Chicago, and do not comment on their operation plans.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Tuesday morning that “we aren’t leaving Chicago” but did not provide further details.
DHS recently said there have been more than 3,000 arrests since the start of Operation Midway Blitz in September in the Chicagoland area.
Bovino recently appeared in federal court amid a lawsuit against the Trump administration, leading to a judge issuing a temporary restraining order prohibiting agents from using tear gas and other riot control weapons against those who do not pose an immediate threat.
U.S. Border Patrol agents have conducted operations over the past two months in Lake County, especially in the Waukegan, North Chicago and Park City area.
On Friday, a convoy of agents roamed the area and conducted arrests. Agents also reportedly pointed guns at Waukegan 3rd Ward Alderman Juan A. Martinez as he was driving back to work on Baldwin Avenue in Waukegan.
The agents stopped their vehicle in front of him, approached his vehicle and pointed guns at him as he was sitting behind the wheel, Martinez said.
“I will be honest: I felt fear. I am a proud Latino leader, but no one should have to experience that kind of intimidation, especially from those sworn to uphold the law,” Martinez said.
“I am deeply shaken, but I am also more determined than ever to stand with my community,” he said. Martinez said he is grateful to be safe but what happened to him should “never happen to anyone.”
The Friday deployment of Border Patrol agents in Waukegan drew sharp criticism from Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, who issued a statement on Monday evening, calling out Bovino, saying he did not come to Waukegan to serve, to protect or to help.
“As he has in other cities, Mr. Bovino came here to escalate chaos, to provoke confrontation, and to spread fear,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham called out Bovino’s “disturbing” actions after he was seen on video playing rock-paper-scissors with another agent at the Exxon gas station at Glen Rock Avenue and Belvidere Road in Waukegan.
“While Waukegan families are simply trying to live, work, and survive, Mr. Bovino and these Border Patrol agents are laughing and playing games with people’s lives,” Cunningham said.
“That is not law enforcement. That is exactly the kind of fear and recklessness that Mr. Bovino and his team bring wherever they go. This time, he used Waukegan as his stage for political theater. Fortunately, no one got hurt,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday evening again called for a troop deployment to Chicago in a post on social media.
Trump said the “Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Chicago” was once considered the nation’s best but now has a more than 28% vacancy rate and is “ready to call it quits” unless something is done about the “murder and crime, which is prevalent throughout the city.
Chicago does not have a “Miracle Mile Shopping Center” and the president was likely referring to the Magnificent Mile, which is composed of shops, restaurants and hotels along Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.
“CALL IN THE TROOPS, FAST, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!” Trump said.