WATCH: Border Chief Hit By Rock From Protestor, Throws Tear Gas Canister In Response

A top Border Patrol boss is at the center of a Chicago street showdown, but it looks like the media might have jumped the gun.

Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino is being accused of hurling a tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters on Thursday — supposedly in defiance of a federal judge’s order limiting crowd control tactics at anti-ICE demonstrations.

But the press seems to have left out a key detail. According to DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, Bovino was hit by a rock tossed by a protester before firing back with tear gas. She posted on X that the media narrative was false — a convenient omission in the rush to blame federal agents.

A court filing from activists, media groups, and local clergy claims Bovino “apparently threw tear gas into a crowd without justification” during a protest in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. The filing cites a Facebook video that shows Bovino tossing an object — but doesn’t show what led up to it.

“Defendant Bovino appears to throw either one or two tear gas canisters over the heads of armed federal agents in front of him and in the direction of a crowd,” the filing reads.

WATCH:

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis had earlier restricted DHS agents from using “aggressive crowd control tactics,” though her order includes exceptions for people who pose threats. Still, Ellis told the court last week she was “concerned” about compliance with her order — a statement quickly seized upon by left-wing plaintiffs eager to drag Trump officials back into court.

Bovino is among a dozen administration officials named in the lawsuit, which accuses DHS agents of “extreme brutality” meant to “silence the press and civilians.” CNN, of course, says it “reached out” to DHS for comment.

Hours before the filing, Bovino defended his team’s record in an interview with CBS News. “The use of force I’ve seen has been exemplary. By exemplary, I would say the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission,” he said, noting agents had faced violent attacks from “extremists and others.”

Tensions have boiled over in Chicago since federal agents hit the streets in early September as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a Trump-backed immigration crackdown that’s netted more than 1,000 arrests. Critics call it heavy-handed; supporters say it’s long overdue.

Judge Ellis has ordered Bovino to sit for a deposition before a November 5 hearing and expanded his questioning to 5 hours.

Bovino, 55, has become the public face of President Donald Trump’s effort to restore law and order in Democrat-run cities, whether blue-state politicians like it or not.

The California-based Border Patrol chief has led similar operations in Los Angeles and, more recently, in Chicago, earning scorn from the left and praise from Homeland Security brass for his hard-nosed style.

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new “Accountability Commission” to document supposed “federal abuses.”

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