https://www.profitableratecpm.com/f4ffsdxe?key=39b1ebce72f3758345b2155c98e6709c
Since the Trump administration began attacking Chicago by tightening federal immigration controls, it has touted arrests of people gathering to protest the operations.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
These cases aren’t just important because prosecutors withdraw them early on. The administration has sought, with great success, to present these operations in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere as focused on immigration control. They involve large numbers of federal law enforcement agents, ostensibly charged with related missions: CBP patrols the border; ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law (however administrative it may be). Spectacular missions like the Blackhawk helicopter raid on a building on Chicago’s South Side use pyrotechnics to reinforce this impression.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
A close look at the administration’s court cases shows that the government’s accusations, primarily of assaulting or resisting federal agents, falter when confronted with video evidence or the lack thereof. In at least four cases related to the Midway Blitz protests, federal prosecutors in Chicago either withdrew charges or asked a judge to rule that they had not met their probable cause burden, according to a TPM review.
These cases aren’t just important because prosecutors withdraw them early on. The administration has sought, with great success, to present these operations in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere as focused on immigration control. They involve large numbers of federal law enforcement agents, ostensibly charged with related missions: CBP patrols the border; ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law (however administrative it may be). Spectacular missions like the Blackhawk helicopter raid on a building on Chicago’s South Side use pyrotechnics to reinforce this impression.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
“You hear a lot of elected officials say they’re there to protest, they’re exercising their First Amendment rights. But you don’t go out there and carry shields, rocks, tear gas canisters – that’s not the First Amendment,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. “It’s just domestic terrorism. »
A close look at the administration’s court cases shows that the government’s accusations, primarily of assaulting or resisting federal agents, falter when confronted with video evidence or the lack thereof. In at least four cases related to the Midway Blitz protests, federal prosecutors in Chicago either withdrew charges or asked a judge to rule that they had not met their probable cause burden, according to a TPM review.
These cases aren’t just important because prosecutors withdraw them early on. The administration has sought, with great success, to present these operations in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere as focused on immigration control. They involve large numbers of federal law enforcement agents, ostensibly charged with related missions: CBP patrols the border; ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law (however administrative it may be). Spectacular missions like the Blackhawk helicopter raid on a building on Chicago’s South Side use pyrotechnics to reinforce this impression.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Sometimes he describes these people as “domestic terrorists,” other times as “rioters.” Greg Bovino – the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander with a checkered past who is leading what the Trump administration calls Operation Midway Blitz – called them “vile-mouthed, deranged individuals.” A senior ICE official told Glenn Beck that those arrested during protests against the operation were “professional agitators who were brought in to intervene.”
“You hear a lot of elected officials say they’re there to protest, they’re exercising their First Amendment rights. But you don’t go out there and carry shields, rocks, tear gas canisters – that’s not the First Amendment,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. “It’s just domestic terrorism. »
A close look at the administration’s court cases shows that the government’s accusations, primarily of assaulting or resisting federal agents, falter when confronted with video evidence or the lack thereof. In at least four cases related to the Midway Blitz protests, federal prosecutors in Chicago either withdrew charges or asked a judge to rule that they had not met their probable cause burden, according to a TPM review.
These cases aren’t just important because prosecutors withdraw them early on. The administration has sought, with great success, to present these operations in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere as focused on immigration control. They involve large numbers of federal law enforcement agents, ostensibly charged with related missions: CBP patrols the border; ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law (however administrative it may be). Spectacular missions like the Blackhawk helicopter raid on a building on Chicago’s South Side use pyrotechnics to reinforce this impression.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Sometimes he describes these people as “domestic terrorists,” other times as “rioters.” Greg Bovino – the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander with a checkered past who is leading what the Trump administration calls Operation Midway Blitz – called them “vile-mouthed, deranged individuals.” A senior ICE official told Glenn Beck that those arrested during protests against the operation were “professional agitators who were brought in to intervene.”
“You hear a lot of elected officials say they’re there to protest, they’re exercising their First Amendment rights. But you don’t go out there and carry shields, rocks, tear gas canisters – that’s not the First Amendment,” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. “It’s just domestic terrorism. »
A close look at the administration’s court cases shows that the government’s accusations, primarily of assaulting or resisting federal agents, falter when confronted with video evidence or the lack thereof. In at least four cases related to the Midway Blitz protests, federal prosecutors in Chicago either withdrew charges or asked a judge to rule that they had not met their probable cause burden, according to a TPM review.
These cases aren’t just important because prosecutors withdraw them early on. The administration has sought, with great success, to present these operations in Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and elsewhere as focused on immigration control. They involve large numbers of federal law enforcement agents, ostensibly charged with related missions: CBP patrols the border; ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration law (however administrative it may be). Spectacular missions like the Blackhawk helicopter raid on a building on Chicago’s South Side use pyrotechnics to reinforce this impression.
But the reality is that these authoritarian operations also affect American citizens. They involve federal law enforcement taking aggressive action against people who record their actions or organize protests. The increased threat of facing charges after participating in a protest can also have a deterrent effect.
The accusations also come after the White House released NSPM-7 on September 25. NSPM-7 is a national security memorandum that directs federal law enforcement to consider “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity” as well as opposition to traditional values as factors that could lead a person to commit acts of political violence. Days later, on September 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Oregon to be extremely aggressive in charging “any person suspected of threatening or assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or interfering with federal law enforcement operations.”
This aggressive approach resulted in multiple cases in which prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue their initial charges after video evidence failed to support the initial allegations. Most of the footage — or lack thereof — comes from body-worn cameras worn by some, but not all, DHS agents operating in the city.
Federal prosecutors charged Oak Park, Ill., resident Cole Sheridan on Oct. 4 with assaulting, obstructing or resisting a federal agent in connection with a situation that occurred outside an ICE facility in suburban Chicago. In an affidavit attached to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent alleged that Sheridan pushed Border Patrol agents during an October 3 protest.
However, during a hearing last week, this version of events was called into question. Bovino, the flashy CBP commander, was implicated in the arrest; according to a federal official present at the hearing, he was not wearing a body camera during the incident.
This lack of video sparked open skepticism from the judge.
“Without video of the actual physical exchange…there is only evidence of Bovino’s hearsay statement,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain concluded there was no probable cause to support the “assault” portion of the charge, according to an order. The magistrate allowed other elements of the charge, including resisting a federal agent, to move forward.
Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, was charged Sept. 29 through a criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer during a protest. The affidavit, written by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, cited YouTube videos alleging that Briggs brandished his arm at a Border Patrol agent and said other agents were carrying their cameras at the time.
Days later, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the initial complaint and replace it with a misdemeanor. This accusation omitted the assault allegation.
The reversal prompted the magistrate presiding over the case, Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes, to request a review of the same videos on which the original affidavit was based, saying in an order that the sworn assertion had been “a substantial part of the basis of the Court’s initial determination of probable cause for the complaint.”
Magistrate Judge Fuentes saw two other Midway Blitz cases end after prosecutors refused to support the allegations made in the initial affidavit. Federal prosecutors charged Hubert Mazur, through a criminal complaint, with a misdemeanor count of resisting a federal officer. An FBI special agent wrote that after a Border Patrol agent pushed Mazur away, both men fell to the ground.
A few days later, prosecutors decided to dismiss the case. At a hearing, government lawyers said review of additional body-worn camera footage prompted the decision. Judge Fuentes asked prosecutors to confirm, in a careful order, that the FBI agent swore under oath that he had reviewed the video evidence, and that that assertion is what prompted the judge to find probable cause.
Paul Ivery was charged Sept. 28 with assault on a federal officer. An HSI agent claimed in an affidavit that Ivery yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you right now” at Border Patrol agents. He then ran away and grabbed an officer’s helmet as he was being arrested, the affidavit says, citing body-worn camera footage.
Prosecutors dropped that case last week, and Fuentes filed the same case in an order: he only found probable cause because the affidavit cited video evidence.
Other prosecutions of federal agents resisting Chicago protesters have also failed.
One, filed against a couple ICE accused of being “armed rioters,” was dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict them. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Chicago resident and teacher, was accused in a DHS press release of being a “domestic terrorist” and of crashing into a government SUV while armed. An affidavit filed in his case states that Martinez’s car “struck and sideswiped” a CBP car, and contradicted the DHS press release on a few points: There were only two cars in the convoy, according to the affidavit, not ten, as DHS claimed. A CBP officer allegedly shot Martinez several times during the episode.
The body-worn camera footage undermined the government’s account there, his lawyer said. Instead, video shows she shouted “la migra” while driving alongside immigration law enforcement in Chicago, her lawyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. As she shouted the warning about ICE’s presence, a CBP officer allegedly shouted “do something, bitch” before shooting her. The government then allowed the agent to return the car to his home in Maine, according to a court hearing in the case.
This episode attracted national attention. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about it in a letter Thursday, demanding body camera footage and how Laura Loomer apparently received photos from the scene.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois did not respond to requests for comment.
Back to top button
