She also ordered a senior official to appear in court next week
Illinois-based US District Judge Sara Ellis has mandated the wearing of body cameras for federal immigration officers in Chicago after recent skirmishes with the public resulted in the use of tear gas and smoke grenades, reported the Associated Press.
The judge had ordered agents stationed near the immigration enforcement building in Broadview, where regular protests have been taking place, to sport badges last week. She also prohibited the use of certain riot control techniques on peaceful protesters and journalists.
The judge expressed concern as to whether her mandate was being obeyed.
“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 in a statement published by AP News.
Operation Midway Blitz is the moniker given to the US administration’s immigration crackdown, which began last month and has since resulted in the arrest of over 1,000 individuals. Ellis said she was a “little startled” to see television footage of tear gas being used in clashes between agents and protesters on Chicago’s streets.
“I live in Chicago if folks haven’t noticed. And I’m not blind, right?” she said in a statement published by AP News.
US justice department attorney Sean Skedzielewski argued against what he called “one-sided and selectively edited media reports,” according to a statement published by AP News. Ellis said the footage from the body cameras would be able to confirm agents’ conduct during confrontations.
Skedzielewski claimed that obtaining cameras immediately would be impossible. Ellis said the execution of the order could be worked out after and she did not expect agents to wear equipment they did not have.
Ellis also issued a summons to the enforcement operation’s field director to attend court on Monday October 20.
US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement published by AP News that the department would “continue to oppose all efforts to vilify law enforcement and prop up the cause of violent rioters.”
“Were a court to enter such an order in the future, that would be an extreme act of judicial activism,” McLaughlin said in a statement published by AP News.
Illinois governor JB Pritzker, by contrast, lauded Ellis’ decision. In a statement published by AP News, he said that agents were turning Chicago into a “war zone” by firing tear gas and smoke grenades.
