Chicago Tribune reports:

Cameras rolling, Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino sailed down the Chicago River in a convoy of government boats. His men held rifles as videographers filmed the stunt later posted to their social media.

The Trump administration had just launched an operation in the city to pursue “the worst of the worst” criminal undocumented immigrants. Homeland Security used the footage for a music video set to Alice in Chains’ “Rooster” ending with Bovino smiling into the distance.

In Chicago, the Sept. 25 moment was widely mocked. Would the federal government be hunting migrants at Navy Pier? Boarding boat tours to find undocumented architecture enthusiasts? Patrolling the Riverwalk?

But more than a month after Bovino and the crew of camouflaged agents he calls the “green machine” arrived in Chicago to assist Trump’s immigration crackdown dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, the scene signaled a profound shift in how the federal government arrests undocumented immigrants far from the border.

Instead of carefully targeted arrests long practiced by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump’s administration has deployed roving groups of masked Border Patrol agents, who work within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These agents have roamed throughout Chicago and its suburbs with the mission of arresting as many undocumented immigrants as possible, often while camera operators film for future government promotional videos.

Allegations have mounted that Border Patrol agents under Bovino’s command are indiscriminately throwing tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods and using inappropriate force against residents during protests over the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement push, leading to a federal judge requesting Bovino to debrief her daily on his agents’ actions.

“What we’re seeing now is what the rest of the nation can expect,” said Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “This is the new model.”

Since Bovino and his agents arrived, the number of arrests has risen sharply, but so have reports of excessive force and unlawful detentions, including of U.S. citizens. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday while speaking in Gary that agents have arrested 3,000 people in the operation, which began in early September.

While the agency’s actions have generated significant legal challenges for the government and public pushback from angry residents, the Trump administration is doubling down on the approach. [Continue reading…]