Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino, the top enforcer of President Donald Trump's Operation Midway Blitz, poses in front the sculpture Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean, in Chicago on Nov. 10, 2025.

CHICAGO – The chief enforcer of President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz crackdown on immigration enforcement posed for photos early on Nov. 10 in front of the city’s iconic The Bean sculpture, sparking outrage from top city and state brass.

"Wicked and vile," Mayor Johnson said on X of the photo op. Johnson has publicly complained about federal agents' use of force during the Midway Blitz campaign, calling on the United Nations to investigate federal immigration raids that have seen officers deploy chemical agents on residential streets and daycare workers detained in front of stunned families.

Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s move to pose in front of the Chicago landmark, officially named Cloud Gate, comes nearly two months into the White House’s blitz operation. Trump says the crackdown is needed to catch the "worst of the worst" criminal immigrants. Local Democratic leaders say the Republican president is staging a power grab.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander at-Large Bovino is at the heart of the Trump operation. The short-statured chief with a Carolina accent is frequently seen on the ground amid immigration enforcement raids. The chief and his officers’ conduct, including using chemical agents on residential streets, has spurred federal lawsuits. A judge on Nov. 6 said that Bovino "admitted that he lied" about why he used tear gas on a crowd.

Bovino responded on X to reports of the stunt: "Proud to report there were no illegal aliens in the park this morning. Readers should've BEAN there, ha ha."

The photo, by photojournalist Colin Boyle of local outlet Block Club Chicago, shows Bovino and dozens of agents posing in front of the sculpture in the city’s Millennium Park.

In response to a request for comment about the photo op, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the chief was "celebrating with Chicagoans that since Operation Midway Blitz," several types of crime are down, including homicides, shootings, robberies and carjackings. "Thanks to DHS law enforcement, Chicago has experienced the fewest summer murders since 1965!"

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office noted in a statement that the blitz operation began Sept. 8 after local media reported on Sept. 3 that the city had its safest summer in 60 years, covering the months of June, July and August.

"It is great to hear that the Trump administration acknowledges, as we have been saying for months, that crime is significantly down in Chicago," Johnson’s office said. "However, they have nothing to do with that work."

Chicago Police Department data shows violent crime over the past 28 days has decreased compared to last year. Local leaders, including Johnson, have previously said crime was decreasing before the blitz operation.

Homeland Security officials did not answer questions about what use the photos would serve.

'Ugly behavior': Mayor, governor respond

Mayor Johnson and other local leaders slammed Bovino and federal agents for the publicity stunt.

"This is ugly behavior," Johnson said at a news conference on Nov. 10. "It's unfortunate that this is the type of provocation that the President of the United States of America has endorsed. We don't do that in the city of Chicago. We believe that all of our neighbors deserve to be protected and loved and supported."

Agents shouted "Little Village" as they posed, according to reporting by Block Club. Little Village is Chicago’s most prominent Mexican neighborhood. Bovino and his agents have raided the South Side community several times. Local Ald. Mike Rodriguez previously told USA TODAY that the agents brought a "reign of terror" to the neighborhood.

Gov. JB Pritzker called out federal authorities for reportedly shouting the name of the historic Mexican neighborhood.

"Making fun of our neighborhoods and communities is disgusting," Pritzker said on social media. "Greg Bovino and his masked agents are not here to make Chicago safer. As children are tear gassed and U.S. citizens detained, they are posing for photo ops and producing reality TV moments."

U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis previously tried to make Bovino come into federal court daily to give reports on operations after agents deployed tear gas and interrupted a Chicago grammar school’s Halloween festivities. An appeals court ruled Bovino did not have to do the daily check-ins.

Agents have faced criticism for detaining U.S. citizens in the city. A woman wrestled to the ground and detained by federal agents after a car collision said the experience left her "terrified" and the family told USA TODAY they plan to pursue legal action.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Midway Blitz enforcer poses in front of Chicago's Bean sculpture, draws city venom

Reporting by Michael Loria, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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