This story is truly infuriating. Gregory Bovino is a Commander for the United States Border Patrol. A federal judge, Sara Ellis, has apparently decided she is his supervisor. She feels entitled to force him into her courtroom daily for questioning and has threatened to take some of his tools for enforcing crowd control if he doesn't obey her. Yes, really.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino is on the witness stand in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis. He is wearing his typical Border Patrol uniform.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
"Good morning, your honor," he says. https://t.co/BSUMjCuIjc
Ellis begins by talking about the oaths that she and Bovino have taken upon entering their public offices.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Ellis: "My role is not to tell you that you can or cannot enforce validly passed laws by Congress. That's not my role … My role is simply to see that any enforcement of those laws" is done "in a manner that is consistent with your obligations under the law."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
What does she mean by 'validly' passed laws? Who determines what is valid? Aren't all laws passed by Congress 'valid', even if this judge disagrees with the law?
Ellis says she wants to go through her TRO with Bovino. Because it's either unclear, it wasn't read, or it was read and ignored.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
"Given the fact that you and I took essentially the same oath, I know Option 3 is not something — that just wouldn't happen."
Ellis: "Kids dressed in Halloween costumes, walking to a parade, do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer. They just don't."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Again, no reaction.
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She then proceeds to go through a whole barrage of commentary about recent events and her personal take on them. One can assume she wasn't present at these events so her opinion on how it was handled is meaningless.
Ellis "I also know I'm not there. I'm not out in the street. I'm here. But I am getting videos … It is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm to a person."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
So, now she wants to be the Commander of Border Patrol and a Federal Judge? She'll be making judgement calls on their behavior based on videos she receives. Spectacular. Really seems to be well within the scope of a judge. Not.
Ellis gets to the requirement that agents give two warnings ahead of tear gas: "This has been a consistent theme through all of the plaintiffs' filings. Is that there was no warning given."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
She then goes on a rant about what she will require for agents to use 'tear gas'.
Ellis seems willing to go along with that. She says she's not trying to micromanage. She wants to make it easy for agents and for herself, "when I'm looking to see whether there's a violation."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Bovino: "Yes ma'am."
Next, she demands a say in where Border Patrol places their identification and how they use their body cameras.
Ellis tries to confirm with Bovino that all border patrol agents here have body cams.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Bovino: "I believe the vast — 99% do. I think there are a few that don't have them issued to them yet."
Bovino told her the issue with making sure everyone has body cams is "getting the equipment" and "dispersal of the equipment."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
But Ellis is explaining how "the camera is your friend."
Ellis asks Bovino if he has a body-worn camera.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Bovino: "I do not ma'am, no. I've not yet received a body-worn camera or the training."
Ellis: "How about by Friday, you get a camera?"
Then, she demands the Commander get a camera and training by Friday. It kind of seems like is actually trying to micromanage even though she claims she is not.
Ellis asks Bovino if he'd agree that the allegations against agents, on their face, suggest they've violated her order.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Bovino: "Well, your honor, I believe that each situation is dependent on the situation. And, you know, I'd like to know more about what happened."
What a concept! Waiting to learn about the whole situation before jumping to conclusions.
Ellis tells Bovino she wants all use-of-force reports since 9/2 by the end of the day.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
As if they have nothing better to do than provide this idiot with paperwork.
Bovino asks for more time due to the "sheer amount of those reports.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
"I think it would be physically impossible to get them to you here in just a few hours."
They agree she'll have them by the end of the week.
Ellis tells Bovino she wants to see him, in person, every day at 4:30 p.m. until the preliminary injunction hearing set for 11/5.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
She then demands he come every single day to see her and answer whatever bogus questions she has for the day.
Bovino: "What about weekends? Do we meet here on weekends?"
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Ellis: "We won't meet here on weekends."
How generous of her.
Ellis: "If they are using tear gas, they better be able to back it up.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
"And if they can't, then they will lose that as something they can use."
Ellis: "Halloween is on Friday. I do not want to get violation reports from the plaintiffs that show that agents are out and about on Halloween where kids are present and tear gas is being deployed."
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 28, 2025
Now, she also apparently thinks she has the right to tell agents when they can work, as well.
When else have US law enforcement officials ever been required to go into court every single day and report to a judge about their compliance with a temporary restraining order?
— Kathleen Bush-Joseph (@KathleenBushJo2) October 29, 2025
What an extraordinary situation https://t.co/8h2oXv9XwY
It's disgusting overreach.
🚨 CBP Chief Gregory Bovino says Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago will continue no matter how many times he’s dragged into court by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, a foreign-born Obama appointee. pic.twitter.com/BTxv7nEY1j
— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) October 29, 2025
Good!