CHICAGO: Siding with the Trump administration, a US appeals court on Wednesday blocked a judge’s order that had restricted how ICE agents could use tear gas and other weapons on people protesting immigration crackdowns in Chicago.
In a brief opinion, the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted the government’s emergency request to pause the order, which required federal immigration agents to give warnings before deploying tear gas and other weapons. The order had also barred agents from arresting or dispersing journalists and required agents to wear body cameras and clear identification.
The court agreed with the government that the judge’s order impermissibly micromanaged federal law enforcement in Chicago, saying its “practical effect is to enjoin all law enforcement officers within the Executive Branch.”
An attorney for the plaintiffs, a group of protesters, journalists and clergy members, declined to comment. Representatives for the US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. US District Judge Sara Ellis in Chicago issued the order on November 6 after siding with the plaintiffs, who claimed they were being specifically targeted for violence in violation of their rights to free speech, free assembly and religious freedom under the US Constitution.
