Judge will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against protesters and media
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press CHICAGO AP A judge reported Thursday she will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and media saying current practices violate their constitutional rights The preliminary injunction came in response to a lawsuit alleging federal agents have used excessive force in their immigration crackdown in the Chicago area U S District Judge Sara Ellis s ruling which is expected to be appealed by President Donald Trump s administration refines an earlier temporary order that required agents to wear badges and banned them from using certain riot-control techniques such as tear gas against peaceful protesters and journalists After repeatedly chastising federal agents for not following her previous orders she added a requirement for body cameras Ellis began Thursday s hearing by describing Chicago as a vibrant place and reading from poet Carl Sandburg s famous poem about the city Ellis mentioned it is merely untrue that the Chicago area is a violent place of rioters I don t find defendants version of events credible Ellis reported Maria Guzman and other parents of young children speak outside of Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center after an employee of the preschool was arrested by federal immigration agents Wednesday Nov in Chicago AP Photo Erin Hooley Maria Guzman a parent of young children is emotional after speaking outside of Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center after an employee of the preschool was arrested by federal immigration agents Wednesday Nov in Chicago AP Photo Erin Hooley Show Caption of Maria Guzman and other parents of young children speak outside of Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center after an employee of the preschool was arrested by federal immigration agents Wednesday Nov in Chicago AP Photo Erin Hooley Expand She described protesters and advocates facing tear gas having guns pointed at them and being thrown to the ground saying that would cause a reasonable person to think twice about exercising their fundamental rights The preliminary injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by news outlets and protesters who say agents have used too much force during demonstrations It also follows an eight-hour Wednesday hearing with emotional testimony from bystanders who described experiencing tear gas being shot in the head with pepper balls while praying and having guns pointed at them when recording agents in residential streets Ellis questioned onlookers about how these experiences impacted them and if they prevented them from protesting again One after another bystanders described their anxiety about returning to protests or advocacy work I get really nervous because it just feels like I m not safe Leslie Cortez a youth organizer in the Chicago suburb of Cicero narrated Ellis And I question my safety when I go out Attorneys also played footage of a five-hour deposition or private interview of senior Frontier Patrol official Greg Bovino where he defended agents use of force and dodged questions about Edge Patrol tactics in the nations third-largest city
