Groups that sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for excessive force in Chicago against protesters and journalists during the 'Midway Blitz' migration operation declared victory on Tuesday against the Donald Trump administration. The federal lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed, 'because the forces of the controversial commander Gregory Bovino have left the region,' the lawyers handling the case said in a statement. 'We won our case the day they left the city,' said David B. Owens, a professor at the University of Washington School of Law and director of the Civil Rights and Justice Clinic. 'The people of Chicago faced intimidation and harassment from the Trump administration, and they showed they were messing with the wrong city,' he added. 'We accept the victory,' said the plaintiff Chicago Headline Club (CHC) in a statement, because a 'great victory for press freedom' was achieved. 'Since ICE and Border Patrol have reduced their presence for now, we don't see the need to continue the legal battle,' they added. The violent repression of protesters with tear gas and chemical bombs during demonstrations at an ICE center in Broadview, near Chicago, prompted the lawsuit and the intervention of a federal district judge on November 6, which restricted the use of force by federal troops. In a 233-page ruling, Judge Sara Ellis documented dozens of incidents of unjustified brutality and accused DHS officials of lying to try to justify their violence. 'We are proud to have held this administration accountable and helped persuade it to leave our communities in peace,' said Reverend Abby Holcomb, a plaintiff in the case. But she warned that the violence experienced caused enormous harm. 'Thousands more, including a generation of Chicago children, have been terrorized and traumatized by the reckless and illegal brutality of these agents,' she noted. According to the lawyers, the 'Midway Blitz' operation was not a good-faith attempt to enforce immigration law, but rather 'a rehearsal by the Donald Trump government to normalize extreme violence by federal agents on American streets.' 'We have shown that these tactics can be defeated, and we must remain vigilant against future attempts by the federal government to sow chaos in our communities,' they concluded. Photo EFE
