Federal judge says Trump officials 'lied multiple times' under oath

Greg Bovino, a roving Border Patrol operations commander who is leading U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the area, leaves court in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., October 28, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis

In a new 233-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis found that many top officials in President Donald Trump's administration "lied multiple times" under oath.

The Thursday ruling issued a preliminary injunction barring federal agents from using force in Chicago. It has already been appealed and put on hold by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Chicago Sun Times reporter Jon Seidel said.

Legal analysts Mark Joseph Stern of Slate and independent journalist Julie DiCaro sorted through the lengthy opinion, finding citations of "widespread misrepresentations that call into question everything" they "say they are doing in their characterization of what is happening."

Her ruling then claims that their testimony is objectively false, Stern said, broadly discrediting the Trump administration.

"After reviewing all the evidence submitted to the Court and listening to the testimony elicited at the preliminary injunction hearing, during depositions, and in other court proceedings, the Court finds Defendants’ evidence simply not credible," Ellis said, according to DiCaro.

At one point, in footnote six, DiCaro cited Ellis writing, "In another case considering some of the same evidence presented to this Court, another court in this district also found that the perceptions of certain of Defendants’ declarants, such as [Russell] Hott and [Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Daniel] Parra, were not reliable."

"But a review of [evidence submitted by Defendants] shows the opposite — supporting Plaintiffs’ claims and undermining all of Defendants’ claims that their actions toward protesters, the press, and religious practitioners have been, as Bovino has stated, 'more than exemplary,'" the judge also wrote.

In a section where she addressed the testimony of Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, Judge Ellis found that he also lied under oath on several occasions.

"When shown a video of agents hitting Rev. Black with pepper balls, Bovino denied seeing a projectile hit Rev. Black in the head," Judge Ellis wrote.

"In another video ...he obviously tackles [Scott] Blackburn [one of Plaintiffs’ declarants]...But instead of admitting to using force against Blackburn, Bovino denied it and ...stated that force was used against him," the ruling continued.

"Most tellingly, Bovino admitted in his deposition that he lied multiple times about the events that occurred in Little Village that prompted him to throw tear gas at protesters," the judge added.

"Defendants, however, cannot simply create their own narrative of what happened, misrepresenting the evidence to justify their actions," the judge wrote.

She ultimately explains, "These are not the only inconsistencies and incredible representations in the record. While Defendants may argue that the Court identifies only minor inconsistencies, every minor inconsistency adds up, and at some point, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to believe."

Read the full ruling here.

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