Judge Sara Ellis, Obama’s appointee to oversee the case, suspended the federal agents from “using riot weapons,” “shooting [tear gas] canisters”, “use of force, such as pulling or pushing a person to the ground, tackling or striking an individual”, “hit any person with a vehicle”, and even more abuse of power. The order applies to all Department of Homeland Security agents, including ICE and Border Patrol.
Federal agents have been doing all of this in recent weeks. In September, an ICE agent fired a pepper ball at the CBS News Chicago reporter. Asal Rezaei car completely spontaneously, which is just one of many recent attacks against journalists. Also last month, ICE shot Reverend David Black in the head with a pepper ball as he prayed outside an ICE facility in Broadview. In another incident caught on camera, a CBP officer shot a woman five timesthen stopped her.
“Federal agents responded with extreme brutality in a concerted and ongoing effort to silence the press and civilians. Dressed in full combat gear, often masked, carrying weapons, flash bang grenades and tear gas canisters, and marching in formation, the federal agents repeatedly advanced on people at the scene who posed no imminent threat to the forces of the order. Snipers with rifles loaded with pepper bullets, paintballs and rubber bullets. bullets are stationed on the roof of the Broadview ICE facility with their guns trained on the press and civilians,” the original read. complaintproduced on behalf of the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, among other local media organizations.
