Federal immigration enforcement in Chicago is under intense scrutiny after a series of high-profile clashes between agents and protesters led a federal judge to impose new accountability measures, including the use of body cameras. The move, announced on October 16, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, comes amid mounting concerns about the conduct of agents during Operation Midway Blitz, a Trump administration initiative targeting alleged criminal immigrants in the region.
Judge Ellis’s decision followed a week of troubling reports from Chicago’s Southeast Side, where agents were recorded using tear gas and other chemical weapons against residents and protesters. The initial spark for judicial intervention was a lawsuit filed by clergy, journalists, and protesters, who alleged that federal agents had used excessive force—including the deployment of pepper balls and tear gas—on peaceful demonstrators and even media members who had clearly identified themselves. According to ABC7 Chicago, some of the most disturbing incidents included a chase that ended in a vehicle crash and subsequent tear-gassing of a crowd, as well as photos showing agents in fatigues pointing non-lethal weapons at unarmed young people.
"I am profoundly concerned with what is happening over the last week since I entered this order," Judge Ellis declared in court, as reported by ABC7 Chicago. "I live in Chicago, if folks haven't noticed, and I'm not blind, right? So, I don't live in a cave. I have a phone. I have a TV. I have a computer and I tend to get news." She made clear that her concerns were not theoretical or distant—she was witnessing the fallout firsthand.
Judge Ellis had already issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on October 9, 2025, restricting the use of non-lethal weapons by immigration agents. But after reviewing media coverage and hearing accounts from those affected, she decided to strengthen the order. The updated directive now requires all agents participating in Operation Midway Blitz who have been issued body cameras to wear them and keep them on during law enforcement activities in Chicago. The cameras, she explained, would serve as an impartial record, confirming whether agents were giving the court-ordered two warnings before deploying tear gas, rubber bullets, or other crowd control methods.
"I am modifying the (temporary restraining order)," Ellis stated in court, according to ABC7 Chicago. "I am adding that all agents who are operating in 'Operation Midway Blitz' are to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on." She emphasized that reviewing body camera footage would help both the court and the government ensure compliance with her orders: "Frankly, Mr. Skedzieiewski, this is going to help the agency (Department of Homeland Security/ICE). If there are issues, or I have a concern or plaintiffs' counsel have a concern, that we think there's a violation, we can go back to the cameras."
However, the rollout of this policy is not without obstacles. Sean Skedzieiewski, an attorney representing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), argued that not all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been issued body cameras. He cited the ongoing government shutdown and logistical challenges as significant hurdles, stating, "Numbers of (agents) are changing daily. Consider the lapse of appropriations we're dealing with; I don't think we would be able to roll out a body cam program for ICE. Maybe workable for CBP."
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of DHS pushed back even further, asserting in a statement to ABC7 Chicago, "There is currently no order requiring body cameras, and any suggestion to the contrary is false reporting. DHS will continue to oppose all efforts to vilify law enforcement and prop up the cause of violent rioters. Were a court to enter such an order in the future, that would be an extreme act of judicial activism." Meanwhile, a separate statement from Homeland Security clarified that body-worn cameras are currently used in ICE areas where cameras have been issued and training provided, but that an agency-wide rollout would depend on available funding resources.
The debate over body cameras is only one part of a broader legal and political struggle. Critics of Operation Midway Blitz, including local activists and some city officials, argue that the crackdown has led to innocent people being swept up in aggressive law enforcement tactics, disrupting daily life across Chicago’s neighborhoods. The administration, for its part, maintains that the operation is focused on apprehending "the worst of the worst" criminal immigrants, a claim that has done little to quell public anxiety.
Judge Ellis has made clear that her primary concern is not the ideological motivation behind Operation Midway Blitz, but rather whether agents are enforcing the law in a manner that violates constitutional rights. "What I'm looking at is how are these agents enforcing the law? Are they doing so in a manner that is violating other people's constitutional rights? If that is happening, that needs to stop," she said in court, according to ABC7 Chicago.
The legal battle is set to escalate further. Judge Ellis has ordered Chicago ICE Field Office Director Russell Hott to appear in court on Monday, October 20, 2025, to answer questions about the use of tear gas and alleged violations of her TRO. This move, legal experts say, underscores the seriousness of the judge’s concerns. ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer observed, "There's no question that she is very concerned her orders are not being abided by. If she had a small concern, she'd simply call someone lower level into court. But if she's calling senior personnel from the federal government to answer her questions, she's signaling very clearly, not only is she worried that her order hasn't been abided by, she wants to make sure that it will be, and she wants the highest-level people who will be accountable for it."
The court has also set a preliminary injunction hearing for November 5, 2025, to determine whether the TRO should remain in effect for a longer period. Until then, the eyes of Chicago—and indeed, much of the nation—will be fixed on the unfolding legal drama, as the city grapples with the balance between law enforcement, civil liberties, and the demand for transparency.
For now, Judge Ellis’s order stands as a rare judicial intervention in the day-to-day operations of federal immigration enforcement, one that could set a precedent for how such agencies are held accountable in the future.
