A federal judge in Illinois is under fire for trying to micromanage how Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers defend themselves against violent mobs in Chicago. Judge Sara L. Ellis, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, ordered Trump-appointed Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino to change his officers’ tactics while enforcing immigration laws and controlling escalating street violence.

Ellis pressed Bovino in court, claiming ICE and Border Patrol agents had used “unnecessary force” when confronting protesters who have increasingly turned violent. The criticism centered on officers’ use of tear gas and other deterrents to keep crowds from overrunning federal property and personnel.

The judge cited one specific incident near a Halloween parade, where tear gas was reportedly used as federal officers tried to disperse a growing crowd.

“Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer,” Ellis told Bovino. “They just don’t. And you can’t use riot control weapons against them.”

Bovino, dressed in his Border Patrol uniform, told the court that officers would begin adopting body cameras in Chicago. He also said that he personally would wear one going forward.

Ellis then went a step further, issuing a warning about crowd control tactics and ordering that agents must verbally announce before using tear gas or similar measures.

“The warning has to be, ‘I’m going to deploy tear gas,’” Ellis said. “The warning really has to include what it is that you’re going to do before you do it, and allow people time to comply.”

The court hearing was tied to a lawsuit brought by activist journalists who claim ICE and Border Patrol officers used “a pattern of extreme brutality.” The plaintiffs allege that agents injured several protesters during crowd-control actions in recent weeks.

The Department of Homeland Security pushed back against the accusations, explaining that ICE agents only use defensive tactics when overwhelmed by violent agitators.

“The agitators obstructed federal law enforcement and ignored multiple warnings to disperse and continued to impede operations, including trying to deflate a vehicle’s tire,” DHS said in a statement. “Agents deployed crowd control measures to disperse the crowd and agitators began throwing objects at them.”

Just last week, a mob of rioters attacked ICE officers in Chicago, surrounding their vehicles with a truck and launching rocks and heavy fireworks at them. Federal officers reported several injuries and significant property damage.

Despite the violence, Judge Ellis ordered Chief Bovino to appear in her courtroom at the end of every weekday until a November 5 hearing. She demanded that he personally report any use of force by his officers and ensure that agents are following her temporary restraining order — an order that bans the use of tear gas, even during riots.

Bovino’s office has reported that nearly 3,000 criminal illegal aliens have been arrested and removed from Chicago streets in recent months as part of renewed federal enforcement under President Trump’s direction. The agency says these efforts have focused on detaining violent offenders and deporting repeat criminal immigrants who have ignored previous removal orders.

The Department of Homeland Security has defended ICE’s operations, calling them critical to public safety. Officials warn that federal officers face increasing threats from organized agitators who are coordinating attacks on immigration enforcement teams.

Even as ICE officers risk their lives in volatile conditions, they now face added pressure from the courts — leaving many agents to question whether they can continue doing their jobs safely under growing judicial oversight.