U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino led a team of federal agents through Chicago and into the suburbs Wednesday, arresting at least three men after making a surprise return to the city a day earlier and aggressively targeting immigrant communities.
A caravan of Border Patrol SUVs with out-of-state license plates appeared to be focused on Evanston, where Bovino argued with the city’s mayor and made the arrests. In one case, agents smashed out the window of a pickup truck and took two men into custody at a Home Depot at 2201 Oakton St.
Earlier, agents arrested another man at a Mobil gas station in the northern suburb, at 1950 Green Bay Road. Bovino then held what amounted to an impromptu news conference, telling a crowd that he couldn’t provide a reason for the arrest because his agents were “still running checks.”
“You can look at our websites, Instagram, Facebook, X,” said Bovino, a prolific social media user. “Take a look, and we’ll show you what we’re after here in your community.”
Despite leaving Chicago last month with a large contingent of agents, Bovino said the Border Patrol has had “several hundred here continually,” and staffing remains around that level. “We never left,” Bovino said.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democrat who is running for a U.S. House seat, confronted Bovino at the gas station as protesters’ whistles blared in the background. Bovino said he came to Evanston to address “violence committed by those that shouldn’t be here, in your community.”
“I’m unaware of that happening,” Biss responded.
“Well, that’s probably the problem,” Bovino shot back. “Maybe you should get aware.”
The tense standoff was then interrupted by a booming voice from the crowd: “Hey Bovino, we don’t want you here, bro!”
On Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other Democrats slammed Bovino’s decision to come back to Chicago, just days before the Christmas holiday. Federal immigration agents detained at least 15 people, including day laborers and a tamale vendor, according to community activists.
“They seem to already be deploying again with masks and unmarked cars and SUVs into neighborhoods,” Pritzker said Tuesday. “They call it enforcement. We call it harassment.”
Bovino has become the face of President Donald Trump’s nationwide deportation efforts and
was at the center of much of the chaos that transpired during the early phases of Operation Midway Blitz, the campaign targeting the Chicago area that has been marked by car chases, shootings, gas deployments and other heavy-handed tactics.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a historic ruling, which restricted the use of force and ordered Bovino to appear before her for daily check-ins. An appellate court later put those restrictions on hold and called off any daily meetings.
Bovino and his team left the city last month for short stints in Charlotte, North Carolina, and New Orleans.
It’s unknown how long Bovino and his team will stay in Chicago this time.
