‘No More Gas’: Judge Bans Tear Gas, Use of Force in Trump’s Chicago Crackdown, Accuses Border Chief of Perjury

A federal judge has slammed federal immigration agents in Chicago, banning them from using tear gas and other riot control weapons during protests, and accusing the top official behind Trump’s mass deportation operations in the city of lying under oath.

District Judge Sara Ellis said the government’s actions “shock the conscience” after reviewing video evidence and hearing testimony from protesters, journalists, and faith leaders who described chaotic and violent encounters with agents.

“The government’s evidence in the case is simply not credible,” Ellis said Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Greg Bovino, the top Customs and Border Protection official overseeing Trump’s Chicago raids, had claimed under oath that his officers’ conduct was “more than exemplary.” But Ellis challenged that testimony, including his claim that protesters struck him in the head with a rock. She directly accused him of perjury.

“Describing neighborhood moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are,” Ellis added, highlighting the government’s dismissive portrayal of local protesters.

The lawsuit brought by protesters, press groups, and faith leaders detailed repeated use of tear gas and pepper balls fired indiscriminately at crowds, often at close range and without warning. Plaintiffs allege agents under Bovino’s command “went on a tour of Chicago neighborhoods, gassing residents in different neighborhoods each day,” and even pointed guns at demonstrators while taunting them with phrases like “bang, bang” and “you’re dead, liberal.”

Witnesses also reported agents tossing tear gas from the passenger window of unmarked SUVs and unleashing violence near a Halloween parade in a Chicago suburb, where they allegedly tackled three people, including a 67-year-old U.S. citizen, before filling the streets with chemical agents.

Ellis emphasized that the public has a right to a government that “conducts itself fairly and in accordance with its own rules and policies.” Her preliminary injunction now bars federal agents from using tear gas, pepper spray, or other less-lethal weapons during protests unless officers give two warnings and face an imminent threat to life.

The order also requires all agents, including Bovino, to wear body cameras — a provision she included in an earlier temporary order restricting federal behavior during demonstrations.

The injunction will remain in effect until the lawsuit is resolved or if the Trump administration successfully appeals. For now, Ellis’s ruling sends a clear message: federal agents cannot unleash chemical weapons on civilians.