Appeals court blocks order for Border Patrol commander to give judge reports on Chicago operation

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked an order by a lower court for Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino to give a judge reports on the agency's operation of cracking down on illegal immigration in Chicago.

The appeals court ruled on Wednesday, a day after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to give her daily briefings on Operation Midway Blitz, which has resulted in more than 1,800 arrests and complaints of excessive force, The Associated Press reported.

“The order significantly interferes with the quintessentially executive function of ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced by waylaying a senior executive official critical to that mission on a daily basis,” the Justice Department argued.

“We are thrilled this act of judicial overreach has been paused,” the Department of Homeland Security told the AP.

Ellis issued the order after tear gas was used by Border Patrol in a neighborhood where children gathered for a Halloween parade last weekend in Chicago. Neighbors joined in the street as a person was arrested.

“Halloween is on Friday,” Ellis said on Tuesday. “I do not want to get violation reports from the plaintiffs that show that agents are out and about on Halloween, where kids are present and tear gas is being deployed.”

Bovino told Fox News, “If she wants to meet with me every day, then she’s going to see, she’s going to have a very good firsthand look at just how bad things really are on the streets of Chicago. I look forward to meeting with that judge to show her exactly what’s happening and the extreme amount of violence perpetrated against law enforcement here.”