Federal judge orders ICE agents to wear body cameras during Chicago raids

A federal judge reportedly said she wants federal agents in the Chicago area to wear body cameras after a series of violent clashes with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crowds.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, said images of the clashes on TV left her a “little startled” as the Trump administration continues its illegal immigration crackdown.

“The field director is going to explain to me why I am seeing images of tear gas being deployed and reading reports that there were no warnings given out in the field,” Ellis said in court this week, according to The New York Times.

Last week, Ellis ordered ICE agents to wear badges and banned them from using certain riot control tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists. ICE agents have reportedly used tear gas and taken other measures as tensions between the immigration enforcement officers and the public escalate.

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“I’m getting images and seeing images on the news, in the paper, reading reports where I’m having concerns about my order being followed,” Ellis said.

“I’m having concerns about my order being followed,” the judge added this week, according to The Associated Press.

“I am adding that all agents who are operating in Operation Midway Blitz are to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on,” Ellis said, referring to the government’s name for the crackdown.

Justice Department attorney Sean Skedzielewski laid blame on “one-sided and selectively edited media reports,” according to the AP. He also said it wouldn’t be possible to distribute cameras immediately.

“I understand that. I would not be expecting agents to wear body-worn cameras they do not have,” Ellis said, adding that the details could be worked out later.

She said the field director of the enforcement effort must appear in court Monday.

The ICE facility in Broadview, Ill., a Chicago suburb, has been the site of several chaotic clashes between federal law enforcement and protesters.

Following a different federal judge’s order, an eight-foot fence surrounding the facility was taken down Tuesday, FOX 32 Chicago. The fence was reportedly put up late last month and caused tension between federal and local officials. The Broadview Fire Department reportedly informed DHS that the fence was built without permission on a public street, which is under the village’s jurisdiction, according to FOX 32.

Also on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that two illegal immigrants were in custody after ramming their vehicle into a Border Patrol vehicle in Chicago during an immigration enforcement operation. This led to a clash with protesters.

The illegal immigrants were identified as Luis Gerardo Pirela-Ramirez and Yonder Enrique Tenefe-Perez, both of whom are from Venezuela. A senior DHS source told Fox News that the two rammed into a Border Patrol vehicle and attempted to flee the scene.

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“This morning, while conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, a vehicle, driven by an illegal alien rammed a Border Patrol vehicle and attempted to flee the scene,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Border Patrol pursued the vehicle and was eventually able to stop it utilizing an authorized precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver. Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspects, who are both illegal aliens, attempted to flee on foot. As Border Patrol arrested the subjects and attempted to secure the scene, a crowd began to form and eventually turned hostile and eventually crowd control measures were used.”

During the clash with protesters that followed the incident, federal officers deployed tear gas, exposing 13 Chicago police officers on the scene to the riot control agent.

Several Democrats, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, have pushed back on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. President Donald Trump recently called for Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to be arrested for failing to protect federal ICE agents.

“I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” Pritzker said in reaction to Trump on Oct. 8. “We must all stand up and speak out.”

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Fox News Digital contacted Ellis’ office, which acknowledged the judge’s courtroom statements but noted an official order has not yet been issued regarding requiring federal agents to wear body cameras. 

The White House declined to comment, saying it would need the full order to do so.

DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.