CHICAGO (AP) — Newly released transcripts of private interviews with a senior U.S. Border Patrol official and other authorities leading the immigration crackdown in the Chicago area reveal tense exchanges as leaders dodged questions about high-profile uses of force.
Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol leader behind the operation that has netted more than 3,000 arrests since September, sat for the sworn deposition over three days in late October and early November. He left Chicago this month to lead a similar operation in North Carolina and is expected to oversee another in New Orleans starting as soon as next week.
Hundreds of pages of transcripts from the deposition released Tuesday shed light on key moments noted by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis in a blistering 223-page opinion this month in a lawsuit alleging federal agents used excessive force against protesters, journalists and clergy members.
Ellis issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month restricting agents from using physical force and chemical agents like tear gas and pepper balls, unless necessary or to prevent “an immediate threat.” A federal appeals court later temporarily halted the order. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called the appeals court ruling “a win for the rule of law and for the safety of every law enforcement officer.”
Deposition transcripts reveal tense clashes between attorneys