Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, a high-profile figure in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is facing intense scrutiny after a federal judge ruled he lied about being attacked during protests in Chicago. The revelation comes just days after Bovino claimed his agents were “shot at” and “assaulted” while conducting immigration operations in the city.
In a social media post, Bovino alleged that his officers endured “vehicular assaults, physical assaults, and violent mobs” for several hours in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. However, Chicago police contradicted his claims, stating that they found no evidence of gunfire and that no one had been struck by bullets.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially backed Bovino’s version, saying a shooter in a black Jeep had opened fire before fleeing. Police later clarified that the only confirmed injury was to an officer struck by a vehicle—an incident unrelated to gunfire—and the driver was merely ticketed.
Video footage circulating on social media showed armed border agents in camouflage, including Bovino, confronting protesters, using tear gas, and detaining several individuals, some of whom were U.S. citizens. Protesters followed the convoy through residential streets, documenting the tense standoff.
Just two days earlier, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis had reprimanded Bovino for lying under oath about an October incident in which he threw a tear gas canister at protesters. Although Bovino claimed he was struck by a rock, video evidence later showed he threw the gas canister before being hit.
The controversy adds to a growing pattern of false claims by border agents, following a recent case in Los Angeles where federal officers were accused of fabricating assault allegations against a protester.
As questions mount, critics say Bovino’s actions have undermined public trust in federal law enforcement and further inflamed tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in U.S. cities.
