The Border Patrol Chief of Patrol defended forceful tactics used by federal agents during the Chicago immigration crackdown, even as new videos and court filings raise questions about whether agents and even Bovino himself violated a judge's order barring tear gas and pepper balls at protests.

Its agents are immigration officers, like officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, which is also part of the Department of Homeland Security. While ICE has traditionally operated in the country, Border Patrol’s focus is the 6,000 miles of international border and a zone of about 100 miles inland.