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A heated confrontation unfolded Wednesday in Evanston, Illinois, where city Mayor Daniel Biss — a progressive Democrat and congressional candidate — confronted Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino during a street-level Title 8 immigration enforcement operation that drew “a couple dozen” protesters and quickly turned chaotic, according to video and accounts posted on X.
The standoff occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Green Bay Road and Dodge Avenue in the city outside Chicago, where an 11-vehicle Border Patrol convoy had arrived to detain multiple individuals. Eyewitness Mark Weyermuller wrote that agents “appeared to detain at least two” people as the crowd formed.
Video shared by FOX 32 Chicago reporter Paris Schutz shows Biss, dressed in a dark tailored coat and dress shoes, visibly standing out from the bundled-up crowd, stepping directly toward Bovino as protesters yell and blow whistles around them.
Biss confronts him immediately, declaring: “The abuse has not been acceptable, the racism has not been acceptable, the violence has not been acceptable.”
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Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, left, is confronted by Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss, as immigration agents stop at a gas station while on patrol, Wednesday, in the city. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Bovino, surrounded by agents wearing protective masks and tactical gear, fires back: “Yeah, that’s why we’re here in your community.”
A nearby protester then shouts repeatedly at the commander: “Hey, Bovino! We don’t want you here, bro! We don’t want you!”
As the shouting intensified, multiple protesters tried to block the roadway while police from Evanston and Chicago worked to keep a corridor open for the vehicles to leave the area.
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Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, left, speaks with Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Wednesday, during an immigration operation in Evanston, Ill. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Biss, who is running for Congress as a “pragmatic progressive,” later amplified his criticism in a post on X, writing: “The only ‘violent mob’ in Evanston today was Greg Bovino and his masked thugs, terrorizing innocent people and then lying about our city to try and sow chaos.”
He added that Evanston is “safe in spite of ICE/CBP, not because of it,” praised residents who “chased you out of town,” and concluded with: “Don’t come back.”
Bovino disputed Biss’s claims and described the encounter as productive.
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Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, right, confronts Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. (WFLD)
He wrote that agents were in Evanston “to make his city a safer place through Title 8 immigration enforcement” and said the mayor “fell back into the divisive talking points that we’ve heard ad nauseam.” Bovino called it an “excellent day in Evanston.”
Evanston Police Department and Chicago Police Department assisted with crowd control and ensuring federal vehicles could exit safely, according to Bovino’s account. In the video, officers can be seen directing traffic and creating space as protesters attempt to approach the convoy.
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Title 8 is the federal legal framework for immigration enforcement and can involve operations far from the border when agents are conducting investigations or targeting specific individuals.
Wednesday’s confrontation reflects growing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and leadership in Democrat-run communities.
Digital reached out to Biss’s office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.
