(NewsNation) — Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and his team of agents are slated to leave Chicago to continue what the Department of Homeland Security officials have called an “at-large” mission in the United States, multiple sources confirmed to NewsNation.
It was unclear where the team would be headed after it leaves Chicago, the sources said. Bovino said in a sworn deposition that he oversees more than 200 Border Patrol agents who were assigned to the Chicago area in early September. Since then, DHS officials have reported more than 3,000 arrests as part of the federal presence, dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”
The operation has involved multiple federal agencies, some of which are slated to remain in Chicago, according to sources. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been in Chicago for decades, will not be leaving the city. Customs and Border Protection will continue to have a presence in Chicago, sources told NewsNation.
The date of Bovino’s departure, along with the reassignment of Border Patrol agents, is yet to be determined, the sources told NewsNation.
DHS officials did not confirm the departure and instead said the ongoing mission in Chicago will continue. In a post on X, Tricia McLaughlin wrote, “We aren’t leaving Chicago.”
McLaughlin, in response to multiple media outlets reporting Bovino’s departure, told Fox News, “We’re not going anywhere. We are here to stay. The Chicago people demand it.”
In the post, McLaughlin wrote that since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, homicides in Chicago have dropped by 16%, shootings have decreased by 35%, robberies have declined by 41%, carjackings have dropped by 48% and transit crimes have declined 20%.
However, according to Chicago Police Department data analyzed by NewsNation, homicides were down by 16% in the month before agents arrived in Chicago when compared to the same time in 2024. Shootings were down 17% in the month prior compared to 2024, while robberies were down by 26% following the same guidelines.
Bovino, who has remained the face of the federal presence in Chicago, told NewsNation last week that Border Patrol agents have “received a lot of thanks” from local residents and immigrants who are in the United States legally.
“They’re concerned that individuals who come to the United States (illegally) commit crimes, and I think people are beginning to realize that illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,” Bovino said.
Bovino has remained a main target of elected officials in Illinois, namely Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. On Monday, Pritzker responded to a photo of Bovino and Border Patrol agents posing in front of Chicago’s iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, where Block Club Chicago reported an agent yelled, “Everyone say, Little Village,” before a photo was taken.
In a social media post, Pritzker wrote, “Making fun of our neighborhoods and communities is disgusting.” A spokesperson for Pritzker’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NewsNation on Monday after Bovino invited Pritzker to join him in the city’s Little Village neighborhood Tuesday.
Little Village has remained a flashpoint of clashes between federal agents and residents throughout the federal operation. Bovino was captured on video throwing a canister of tear gas into a crowd of protesters, which drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who had previously issued a temporary restraining order, limiting the use of force by federal agents.
Last week, Ellis extended the order with an extensive injunction and ruled Bovino had lied under oath about being hit in the head with a rock before throwing the tear gas. On Monday, attorneys for the Trump administration filed an appeal seeking to have a stay issued in response to Ellis’ order.
“Greg Bovino and his masked agents are not here to make Chicago safer,” the governor wrote. “… They are posing for photo ops and producing reality TV moments.”
On Tuesday, Pritzker — appearing at a Veterans Day ceremony in Little Village —continued his attack on the federal presence and on Bovino.
“Unfortunately, our American values – the very values that compelled you to enlist are today under attack here at home. Masked federal agents are currently terrorizing our neighbors and tear-gassing innocent civilians, including children.” Pritzker said. “They are harassing and detaining veterans who served our country…while we are here standing in solidarity with one another and honoring our veterans, Gregory Bovino is out doing photo shoots, making fun of Little Village and harassing Chicago families.”
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday’s ceremony in Little Village, Pritzker referred to Bovino as a “snowflake” and said that he had not been alerted by the federal government about their plans.
“The people of Chicago deserve better than having CBP and Greg Bovino in this city,” Pritzker said. “I would not say that we’re not going to be free of these terrorized neighborhoods because ICE and CBP will still be here, though they will have fewer people here. We’re going to have to continue to protect our neighbors.”
In a social media post on X, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote that Bovino’s legacy in Chicago is “chaos, criminality and terror.”