Well, this was enjoyable. A judge is very unhappy with ICE. She issued an order last week that was being ignored. And she had an additional list of complaints from residents in specific areas. The judge was unhappy, and she let him know it! From X via AlterNet:
During a hearing on Tuesday morning, October 28, Gregory Bovino — the U.S. Border Patrol chief in charge of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Chicago — appeared in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis. And the judge wanted answers, aggressively confronting Bovino about incidents of excessive force during the immigration raids in that city. Politico’s Shia Kapos detailed their exchanges in a thread posted on X, formerly Twitter, that morning. Later, Block Club Chicago reporter Mina Bloom described the hearing in an article published in the afternoon.
Well, now, the judge wasted no time in telling him that he, and his people, were in deep sh!t. That’s not a good way to start. There was no time for pleasantries. She wanted answers. And she wasn’t about to put up with him hedging his bets, or blustering and misdirecting, or obfuscating (like his boss. Ha). She made that quite clear.
According to Kapos, Bovino entered the courtroom in his green fatigues — and Ellis “immediately” called him to the stand, reminding him of the “obligation we each have under the Constitution” to tell the truth. Kapos tweeted, “Judge is now discussing concerns that agents don’t always identify themselves. Bovino says: ‘I instructed all agents under my command to … place an identifier conspicuously on their uniform.’ The reason it’s not always seen, he says, is because equipment may cover it … Next, judge urges Bovino to make sure agents wear cameras. ‘The cameras are your friend,’ said the judge. Asked if he wears one, (Bovino) says he has not received body-worn camera or training. She says ‘how about by Friday’ you get one.”
Oh, well said. There’s definitely no wiggling out of that one. Did you notice the “interesting” answer he gave about identification? “Equipment may cover it.” Shall we all call bullsh!t? Because that answer was actually saying they’re not identified and won’t be identified. He shoved himself into a hole with that one. We can be fairly sure the judge noticed, too. And to close:
Kapos noted, “Judge Ellis pulls out a file of ‘violations over the last week or so’ including a woman who says two agents were on top of her, one with his knee on her back ‘and no visible identification’ and another instance when a chemical spray was deployed, ‘and there was no warning’ Ellis noted an incident involving children in Halloween costumes. “Now judge is zeroing in on the case of kids in Halloween costumes celebrating Halloween in their Old Irving Park neighborhood [EDIT: they were tear gassed]. ‘I can only imagine how terrified they were.’ Judge says. ‘Their sense of safety was shattered… it should have been a really happy day.'”
Tear gassed KIDS. That one’s the worst. What the holy hell were they doing to have had that be deployed??!! Every one of us should be outraged by that incident alone. The judge had quite a list of those types of incidents. [You can get more information up there in paragraph 2 with either the series of tweets or the written article.] The point remains that ICE is getting far too “enthusiastic” with their actions for no reason. The judge is going to be very unhappy if she gets more reports like the ones she already has. Go get them, Judge Ellis!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
The pompous cock: How many times does he have to be, and how receptive is he to being, slapped?
“Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. ”
Anne Frank, Holland. 1940
‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ by Anne Frank.
Isn’t it odd how this could be written now, in the USA?