Border Patrol Chief Criticizes Chicago Violence

Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino encouraged Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat from New York, to experience the streets of Chicago first-hand after Goldman seemingly downplayed violence against federal immigration enforcement agents.

Multiple riots have erupted at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, amid growing opposition to the agency’s efforts to target illegal immigrants. During an appearance on “CNN Newsnight,” Goldman dismissed the rising violence, prompting John Roberts, co-host of “America Report,” to seek Bovino’s reaction.

Bovino responded, saying, “You know, that deputy is completely blind. That 12,000 hit me. Thankfully, I’m still with people who are alive. Maybe the deputy doesn’t want us to be with people who are alive.”

He continued, “So how about he come here and walk with us a few streets and maybe pick us up? [Democratic] Governor [J.B.] Pritzker, let us take a walk and see what violence really looks like, because it happens to our ICE and Border Patrol agents every day.” Bovino mentioned a recent incident where a Border Patrol agent was struck by a vehicle, emphasizing that these occurrences are common.

In the clip shown by Roberts, Goldman remarked, “I’ve never seen…1,000 percent rise, nothing like that. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Authorities arrested Juan Espinoza Martinez, a gang member of the Latin Kings and an illegal immigrant, for allegedly offering $10,000 for Bovino’s assassination and $2,000 for information about him, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

During the unrest in Chicago, some rioters called for ICE agents to be arrested or harmed, as shown in a video shared online. On September 24, a shooting at an ICE office in Dallas left two individuals dead, and the shooter killed himself. Since July 4, an ICE facility in Texas has been closed, and ten people face attempted murder charges linked to a previous incident.