The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under renewed scrutiny after its border patrol chief, Gregory Bovino, claimed agents were “shot at” during immigration enforcement operations in Chicago, a statement later contradicted by city police.

Bovino made the claim on social media on Saturday, alleging that agents faced “vehicular assaults, physical assaults, impeding, violent mobs, vehicular blockades” during the operation. In an official statement, DHS reported that agents were conducting enforcement near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue when an “unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene.”

However, Chicago police said they found no evidence of anyone being hit by gunfire. “There are no reports of anyone struck by gunfire,” police said, though one officer was reported in good condition after being hit by a vehicle. The driver received a citation.

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Protests trail federal agents in Little Village neighborhood

Heavily armed federal agents in camouflage were seen throughout the Little Village neighborhood during the raid. Protesters followed a DHS convoy for nearly two hours, documenting the operation through residential streets, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Local organizers said at least six people were detained during the sweep, including US citizens protesting the raids. Social media footage and photographs showed the use of tear gas and multiple detentions, including Gregory Bovino, among the agents present.

Just two days before the alleged shooting incident, US District Judge Sara Ellis accused Bovino of lying to the court regarding his actions during an earlier protest in the same neighborhood. Bovino had claimed he was struck by a rock before deploying tear gas at demonstrators in October, in violation of a temporary restraining order.

“Mr Bovino and the Department of Homeland Security claimed that he had been hit by a rock in the head before throwing the tear gas, but video evidence disproves this. And he ultimately admitted he was not hit until after he threw the tear gas,” Ellis said Thursday, according to ABC News.

Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, also claimed Bovino was struck by a rock, repeating the narrative now refuted in court.

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Operation Midway Blitz raises concerns over aggressive tactics

The latest raids are part of Operation Midway Blitz, a sweeping immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago and surrounding suburbs launched in September. DHS claims the operation targets “dangerous criminals” without legal status, but reports show that among the more than 3,000 people arrested, some were US citizens or had no criminal records.

In one incident last week, a daycare center was raided. In another, more than a dozen mothers were arrested outside an immigration detention facility in Broadview, a long-time flashpoint in the region’s immigration debate.

The DHS said in a recent statement, “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement.”

Prior incidents raise credibility questions

Bovino has previously been the subject of investigations for making false or misleading statements. In January, he defended a mass immigration sweep by claiming agents had a “predetermined list of targets,” most of whom had criminal records. A CalMatters investigation later revealed that 77 out of 78 people arrested during that operation had no prior record with the agency.

In June, he falsely claimed that a US citizen arrested in a high-profile case had assaulted a federal officer. And in Los Angeles, Bovino was the only border patrol agent to testify that a protester struck an officer during a June demonstration, a claim contradicted by video footage published by The Guardian.