Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Restricting Immigration Agents' Use of Force After Strategic Move by Plaintiffs
A US District Court judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit that restricted federal immigration agents' use of force against protesters, clergy, and journalists. The case was brought last fall by plaintiffs, including some from the media, who had sought to limit the use of tear gas, chokeholds, and other forms of force during Operation Midway Blitz, a deportation campaign led by President Donald Trump's administration.
The move to dismiss the lawsuit comes after the judge, Sara Ellis, paused her decision two weeks ago amid concerns about the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. The plaintiffs had apparently made the strategic decision to drop the case, potentially avoiding a review by a three-judge panel from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The lawsuit had led to several key findings, including that U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino had lied about using tear gas in Little Village after being hit with a rock. Additionally, Ellis concluded that immigration officials had used excessive force during the operation, resulting in the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González.
Despite the dismissal, another case is still moving forward involving the state of Illinois, which claims that federal immigration officials are engaging in an illegal occupation and interfering with state sovereignty. The next hearing in this case is set for February 19.
Lawyers for both sides have expressed interest in sharing discovery materials related to the now-dismissed case, but a Department of Justice attorney has requested a meeting with the plaintiffs' lawyers before proceeding.
A US District Court judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit that restricted federal immigration agents' use of force against protesters, clergy, and journalists. The case was brought last fall by plaintiffs, including some from the media, who had sought to limit the use of tear gas, chokeholds, and other forms of force during Operation Midway Blitz, a deportation campaign led by President Donald Trump's administration.
The move to dismiss the lawsuit comes after the judge, Sara Ellis, paused her decision two weeks ago amid concerns about the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. The plaintiffs had apparently made the strategic decision to drop the case, potentially avoiding a review by a three-judge panel from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The lawsuit had led to several key findings, including that U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino had lied about using tear gas in Little Village after being hit with a rock. Additionally, Ellis concluded that immigration officials had used excessive force during the operation, resulting in the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González.
Despite the dismissal, another case is still moving forward involving the state of Illinois, which claims that federal immigration officials are engaging in an illegal occupation and interfering with state sovereignty. The next hearing in this case is set for February 19.
Lawyers for both sides have expressed interest in sharing discovery materials related to the now-dismissed case, but a Department of Justice attorney has requested a meeting with the plaintiffs' lawyers before proceeding.
I mean, can you imagine if it went through and all those immigration agents had their use of force severely restricted? It would be chaos out there! 
And don't even get me started on the whole "excessive force" thing – what's excessive is the number of people being detained and deported without due process 
. I'm not saying the cops shouldn't be held accountable, but come on, we need to find a balance here 
. And now that the case is off the table, let's focus on the next one that's trying to take down the feds for allegedly taking over the state of Illinois 
– bring it on! 
it's like the authorities are above the law lol but seriously though this is kinda concerning because we had some major evidence about the use of force against protesters and journalists...like who gets shot for throwing a rock at an immigration officer? Renee Nicole Macklin Good was a 24-year-old journalist and she died in front of our eyes 
maybe we'll finally get some answers about who's in charge here.
... cant believe the judge just let immigration agents get away with using excessive force against innocent ppl 
. Renee Nicole Macklin Good's family deserves justice, and now her death is being swept under the rug 
. meanwhile, another case is moving forward in Illinois... hopefully they can finally hold those officials accountable 
. cant let them keep pushing boundaries and getting away with it 
we need more accountability on both sides. The government needs to start taking responsibility for these actions and making changes, while also listening to the concerns of those affected. 
like what even is the point of having laws if u can just dismiss them w/ no consequences lol? I mean I get it, politics and power plays can be a wild game, but come on people! Can't we just have some semblance of accountability for our law enforcement agencies? This whole thing just smells like another Trump admin cover-up 
. But hey at least the media folks were able to drop their case, so I guess that's kinda win-win? 
. anyway, i'm not surprised this case got dismissed - the gov is really good at pushing limits & making ppl play by their rules 
. but idk about the state of illinois case... sounds like they're trying to take on the feds again 
. either way, we should be seeing more stories about immigration & protest tactics coming out - it's high time someone shed some light on this 
hopefully, it means somethin' good will come outta this... maybe we'll get some real changes made 
it's like, super crazy right? I mean, what if those deportation ops were way more intense than we thought? 
The fact that the plaintiffs dropped the case is kinda suspicious tho... was it a strategic move to avoid some serious scrutiny from a 3-judge panel 
. We'll have to keep an eye on that one 
️
like what if she had actually made a ruling back then? would things be different now?
poor guy was shot by an immigration officer and now no one's holding anyone accountable? it's like, can't we get some justice here? 
I mean, the judge paused her decision for a reason and now just dropped it? what changed? 
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