When CNN can’t even defend you, you know you’ve stepped on a landmine. That’s Judge Sara Ellis, who issued an absurd ruling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement: they must wear body cameras (via ABC7 Chicago):
A federal judge on Thursday said she is "profoundly concerned" that federal agents working on immigration enforcement in the Chicago area are violating restrictions put in place one week ago regarding the use of tear gas and other crowd control methods, based on reporting from ABC7 Chicago and other Chicago media outlets.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Chicago U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office Director Russell Hott to appear in court on Monday, to answer questions about several incidents where agents were recorded using tear gas and other crowd control methods, and violations of Ellis' order were alleged.
Judge Ellis also modified the already existing temporary restraining order, or TRO, in place to require all agents working under "Operation Midway Blitz" who have already been issued body cameras to wear them and keep them on during "law enforcement activities" in Chicago.
"I am modifying the (temporary restraining order)," Ellis said in court, "I am adding that all agents who are operating in 'Operation Midway Blitz' are to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on."
Does this judge not realize that she’s overreached? She’s not the head of field operations for ICE. CNN’s Elie Honig, the network’s top legal analyst, had these four words for her: you can’t do that. He said this decision will likely be overturned on appeal.
"I don't know where this judge thinks she gets off essentially becoming the Chief of ICE Operations."
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) October 17, 2025
Even CNN's legal analyst Elie Honig is slamming rogue Obama-appointed judge Sara Ellis. pic.twitter.com/xReBXgkZMw
She cannot micromanage and order law enforcement to wear body cams. With this ruling, every ICE action would need her approval. That’s not how this works. He also noted that telling cops to have their body cameras on all the time is bad policy. During domestic violence disputes, there may be times where it’s prudent to turn them off out of privacy concerns (i.e. the victim wanting to be on camera.) Judges aren’t running police departments for numerous reasons. Judge Ellis seems to forget that.
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