CHICAGO — U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is slated to appear Thursday at an undisclosed location in Gary, Indiana, to give an update on Operation Midway Blitz, the federal immigration crackdown targeting undocumented people in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
Noem will be joined by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, U.S. Transportation Security Sean Duffy and Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration Customs and Enforcement, for a 11 a.m. press conference scant on details.
The Department of Homeland Security is requiring press to show up no later than two hours early, with the exact location of the event only provided “upon RSVP.”
Noem’s appearance comes the day after a federal appeals court blocked a court order requiring Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to appear every evening in front of U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis to give an update on federal immigration actions that day in Chicago. The appellate court’s decision was in response to an emergency motion Noem filed Wednesday arguing that forcing Bovino to appear daily in court was “extraordinary and extraordinarily disruptive.”
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security also released body-camera footage of protesters in Little Village as agents, including Bovino, deploy tear gas during a clash in the Southwest Side neighborhood last week.
The edited video shows what appears to be a water bottle and rocks being thrown at agents as a crowd forms. A man is seen slashing a tire of what the department calls an unmarked government vehicle.
A federal agent runs after a woman who is walking away from the scene as tear gas billows out.
“You’re not de-escalating sh-t, bro,” a protester shouts.
Bovino has said the Chicago operation, which began last month, has now arrested nearly 3,000 people. Protesters have frequently clashed with federal agents, who have thrown tear gas to disperse crowds across the city, including right before a children’s Halloween parade in Old Irving Park.
On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker wrote a letter to Noem asking her to suspend operations Friday through Sunday around homes, schools and other places “where Halloween celebrations are taking place.”
“There is now a clear record that these activities have endangered the lives of innocent community members and traumatized children,” Pritzker wrote. “Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear. No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick or treating in their own neighborhood.”
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