> Federal appeals court halts ruling that curbed use of force during CHIMPCONGO immigration campaign TWA TRUMP WINS ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigratio … n-campaign

Federal appeals court halts ruling that curbed use of force during immigration campaign
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals called the Nov. 6 preliminary injunction from Judge Sara Ellis “overbroad,” but it also promised a quick appeal process.

U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino yells at protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.

The federal appeals court in Chicago signaled Wednesday it might narrow an historic order handed down earlier this month, which limited the use of force by federal agents amid the aggressive deportation campaign that swept the city this fall.

For now, a three-judge panel from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the entire order on hold. The panel found the Nov. 6 preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis to be “overbroad.” But it also promised a quick appeal process.

“In no uncertain terms,” the panel wrote, “the district court’s order enjoins an expansive range of defendants, including the President of the United States, the entire Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, and anyone acting in concert with them.

“The practical effect is to enjoin all law enforcement officers within the executive branch,” it said.

The panel, made up of Judges Michael Brennan, Frank Easterbrook and Michael Scudder, set a briefing schedule that lasts through Dec. 8. Oral arguments have not been scheduled.

It’s the second time the 7th Circuit has intervened in the case before Ellis, brought by media organizations such as the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Newspaper Guild, which represents journalists at the Chicago Sun-Times.

It became a high-profile vehicle for lawyers to challenge the use of tear gas, pepper balls and other aggressive tactics by U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and the agents who carried out “Operation Midway Blitz.”

Ellis at one point forced Bovino into her courtroom and also required him to sit for a five-hour deposition. Then, on Nov. 5, she presided over an eight-hour hearing featuring emotional testimony from witnesses who spoke of jarring encounters with armed federal agents.

She also heard portions of Bovino’s videotaped deposition, in which he said the agents’ use of force had been “more than exemplary.”

But news broke days after Ellis handed down her preliminary injunction that Bovino and many of his agents would be leaving town, at least for the winter. They’ve since taken their deportation campaign to Charlotte, North Carolina.

A DHS source told the Chicago Sun-Times they could return four-fold in March. Ellis made note of that reporting as she recently scheduled a trial on a more permanent ruling for March 2. She’s also set to meet with lawyers in the case Thursday.

Ellis’ order, which is now on hold, forbade agents from using “riot control weapons” against protesters or observers who pose no immediate threat, and without two warnings. It restricted the feds’ use of chokeholds, and it required agents to display identifying star or badge numbers “conspicuously” in “two separate places.”

Ellis made clear during the litigation that she did not intend to micromanage agents, nor did she mean to interfere with the executive branch’s decision to enforce federal immigration law.

Still, the appellate panel found that her order “resembles a federal regulation” when it came to restrictions on the use of “riot control weapons.”

The appeals court panel also questioned whether the plaintiffs have standing that gives them the authority to sue the Trump administration. They said there are “open questions” as to whether the harm allegedly inflicted upon the plaintiffs in the past “is likely to imminently happen to them in the future.”

“A fear that such harm will recur is insufficient, on its own, to show standing for injunctive relief,” the panel wrote. “And we are aware of public reporting suggesting that the enhanced immigration enforcement initiative may have lessened or ceased, which could affect both the justiciability of this case and the propriety of injunctive relief.”

The panel also warned, “do not overread today’s order,” promising the expedited appeal process.

“We have not concluded that preliminary relief is precluded,” the panel wrote. “Acting on a very compressed timeline, the district court has developed voluminous and robust factual findings. Those findings may support entry of a more tailored and appropriate preliminary injunction that directly addresses the First and Fourth Amendment claims raised by these plaintiffs.”

The 7th Circuit also intervened last month after Ellis, having already ordered Bovino into her courtroom, told him she wanted him to return every weeknight over seven days, so they could discuss his agents’ daily actions.

She did so after hearing claims that the agents, including Bovino, were using tear gas without justification.

Bovino agreed to the meetings. But the Justice Department challenged the order. The 7th Circuit then found that the meetings would infringe on the separation of powers.