U.S. Border Patrol agents have returned to the Chicago area and were seen conducting immigration enforcement operations on Tuesday, just a month after they left Illinois.
The U.S. Border Patrol was spotted on Tuesday morning at the Walmart in Cicero and in Chicago making immigration arrests.
The convoy of federal agents reportedly arrived at the DuPage Airport on Monday evening.
Also on Monday, U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino posted a video on X with the caption that said, “Here am I, send me. The United States Border Patrol will always protect our nation and its citizens against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Bovino used the hashtags “MidwayBlitz,” “CharlottesWeb” and “CatahoulaCrunch,” referring to immigration operations in Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans.
Bovino left Chicago, where “Operation Midway Blitz” was being carried out, a month ago and went to Charlotte for another immigration assignment.
Most of the Border Patrol agents under his command were also redeployed from Chicago, with ICE agents remaining in Chicago to continue immigration enforcement.
Bovino on Tuesday, while in the Little Village neighborhood, claimed “we never left [Chicago].”
Immigration enforcement in Lake and McHenry counties had subsided substantially in the past month after Border Patrol had reportedly departed.
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 Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte and New Orleans.
Around the same time Border Patrol departed, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) left its command center at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago.
Hundreds of immigration agents were operating out of Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County for the operation.
DHS said in November that there had been more than 3,000 arrests since the start of Operation Midway Blitz in September in the Chicagoland area.
Bovino 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. That lawsuit has since been dropped by the plaintiffs.
U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted operations in October and November in Lake County, especially in the Waukegan, North Chicago and Park City area.
A convoy of agents roamed the area on November 7 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 November 7 deployment of Border Patrol agents in Waukegan drew sharp criticism from Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, who issued a statement 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.