CHICAGO (AP) — Troubled by clashes between agents and the public, a judge said Thursday she would require federal immigration agents in the Chicago area to wear body cameras, and she also summoned a top official to court next week to discuss an enforcement operation that resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said she was “a little surprised” after seeing images on television of street clashes involving tear gas and other tactics during President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown.
“I live in Chicago if people haven’t noticed,” Ellis said. “And I’m not blind, am I?”
Separately, hours later, a federal appeals court ruled against the Trump administration and said a lower court’s temporary ban on deploying the National Guard to assist immigration agents in Illinois would remain in effect while the government pursues its appeal.
Community efforts to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have intensified in Chicago, where neighborhood groups have come together to monitor ICE activities and film incidents involving agents. More than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested since September.
An immigration services building in Broadview, outside Chicago, has been the scene of regular protests. The Trump administration attempted to deploy Guard troops, in part, to patrol the Broadview site, but that strategy was halted Oct. 9 for at least two weeks by another federal judge.
Ellis said last week that officers in the area must wear badges and she barred them from using certain riot control techniques against peaceful protesters and journalists.
“I have concerns about compliance with my order,” the judge said.
“I would add that all officers who participate in Operation Midway Blitz must wear body-worn cameras, and they must wear them,” Ellis said, referring to the government’s name for the crackdown.
U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Sean Skedzielewski blamed “one-sided and selectively edited media reporting.” He also said it would not be possible to distribute cameras immediately.
“I understand that. I wouldn’t expect officers to carry cameras that they don’t have,” Ellis said, adding that details could be worked out later.
“DHS will continue to oppose any efforts to defame law enforcement and support the cause of violent rioters,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “If a court issues such an order in the future, it would be an extreme act of judicial activism.”
Ellis said the cameras would provide evidence supporting how officers handle confrontations with protesters. Ellis said the field director of enforcement efforts is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
Gov. JB Pritzker praised the judge’s ruling, saying the government’s statements about arrests and other incidents, including last month’s fatal shooting of a suburban Chicago man, were often inaccurate.
“They are clearly lying about what is happening,” he told reporters. “It’s difficult for us to know immediately what the truth is.”
In 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began deploying approximately 1,600 body cameras to officers assigned to enforcement and deportation operations.
At the time, officials said they would be provided to agents in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, Buffalo, New York and Detroit. Other Department of Homeland Security agencies require certain agents to wear cameras. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released body camera video when force was used by their officers or agents.
Earlier this week, a Cook County judge barred ICE from arresting people at courthouses in Chicago and its suburbs.
