Border Patrol In Evanston: 'We Will Not Be Intimidated,' Mayor Says

EVANSTON, IL — Federal immigration authorities were in Evanston on Wednesday, where U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino had an encounter with Mayor Daniel Biss, and at least three people were taken into custody, according to reports.

WTTW published video of the run-in between Bovino and Biss, who were surrounded by a crowd outside an Evanston gas station on Wednesday morning.

“I confronted Greg Bovino, but it’s clear ICE/CBP will continue to terrorize our communities,” Biss, a Democrat who is running for Congress, wrote Wednesday on social media, later adding, “We will not be intimidated. Get the hell out of our city.”

Bovino also posted online about the encounter.

“I told the mayor that we were there to make his city a safer place through Title 8 Immigration enforcement and how these enforcement operations work,” he wrote. “Although he fell back into the divisive talking points that we've heard ad nauseum from politicians in Chicago, I hope it was enlightening to him.”

Bovino thanked Evanston police for clearing the way for enforcement efforts to proceed unimpeded.

“The Evanston Police Department does not, and will not, coordinate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the department said Wednesday in a news release.

“The department’s response was consistent with Local Ordinance 75-O-25 (Welcoming City Ordinance), the Illinois TRUST Act, and prior guidance communicated publicly by City officials. … The department’s focus remains on restoring order and documenting these incidents as they occur.”

Evanston police responded to several incidents on Wednesday involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations and community members, according to the department.

A man was arrested at a gas station in the city and two others were detained after agents broke a truck’s window outside the Evanston Home Depot, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.