Embattled Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino expected to depart Chicago in coming days
U.S. Customs and Border Protection commander-at-large Greg Bovino is expected to be leaving the city of Chicago in the coming days, multiple sources tell ABC News.
The Department of Homeland Security will continue to maintain a presence in the city, according to the sources.
Bovino's departure could mean he is set to go to another city, or return to the El Centro sector in Southern California, according to a source.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said on social media the agency isn't leaving the city.
"We aren’t leaving Chicago," she posted on X Tuesday. The post cited crime statistics from "Operation Midway Blitz," the surge of federal immigration enforcement in the city.
Bovino has come under fire after video from a protest last month showed the Border Patrol official throwing a gas canister at demonstrators in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood without giving a verbal warning, a violation of a U.S. district judge's earlier temporary restraining order limiting the use of force.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis admonished Bovino last week, saying he admitted to lying about the rock-throwing incident used to justify the deployment of tear gas against protesters. She then issued a preliminary injunction limiting the use of force during immigration arrests and protests.
The Oct. 23 incident involving Bovino has been a key part of the court proceedings challenging the tactics of immigration agents during the Trump administration's operation in Chicago, which began in September.
At the time of the incident, DHS defended Bovino's actions saying that a Border Patrol transport van transporting undocumented immigrants was attacked by demonstrators.
