Border patrols appear in cities hundreds of kilometers from the border

In early January 2025, gardener Ernesto Campos was stopped by Border Patrol agents in Bakersfield, California. The problem is that Bakersfield is an inland city more than 386 km from the Mexican border.

At the time, agents had been dispatched to the scene as part of 'Operation Return to Sender'. The video shows an agent threatening to break the window of Campos' vehicle. According to Campos, agents slashed his tires and then arrested him and his passenger.

Ten months later, two of the same agents were caught on camera again in Chicago. This was the scene of another large-scale crackdown, this time named 'Operation Midway Blitz'.

The reality of repeated excessive suppression and shocking patterns

Video taken in Chicago shows that the agents' actions were not a one-off. One agent grabbed a man by the neck and, with the help of other agents, threw him to the floor. Another agent punched a man in the face and then pointed a gun at protesters in a Chicago suburb.

These clashes were not isolated incidents. An Illinois federal judge ruled in November that the use of force by federal agents in Chicago — including repeated use of tear gas and non-lethal weapons — was “a level that shocks the conscience.”

Investigative media Bellingcat, in collaboration with Evident Media and CalMatters, analyzed more than 85 hours of social media footage, body camera footage, court documents and incident reports. As a result, it was confirmed that more than 25 agents were active in more than one city. Identification was confirmed through facial recognition or matching badge numbers on vests and armbands.

Hidden identity, neutralized accountability

There are factors that make tracking difficult. Many agents wore masks, and badges or identification numbers were not always visible. This made public questioning and accountability for incidents of excessive repression virtually impossible.

“I’ve been talking to agents who have been in the field for eight months,” border officer Tom Horman told reporters in January. This suggests that the same agents participated in long-term crackdown operations traveling to various cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Some of the agents identified by the Bellingcat analysis team went on patrol in the area without any incident, but other agents were caught using physical force on several occasions. The report focuses on five agents identified as having repeatedly used force in at least two cities.

Escalation of violence that gets worse over time

The analyzed video shows a steady intensification of violence and confrontational incidents as 2025 progresses. A pattern was identified, starting with inspections and arrests at the beginning of the year and leading to widespread incidents of excessive suppression towards the end of the year.

A restraining order issued by an Illinois judge was overturned on appeal earlier this month. But what happened on the streets of Chicago happened similarly elsewhere, and in some cases the same agents were involved.

Future outlook [AI analysis]

This investigative reporting highlights a new aspect of immigration enforcement in the United States - intensive crackdowns on inland cities hundreds of kilometers from the border and the use of 'mobile suppression teams'.

In the short term, as long as the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policy continues, these operations are likely to expand. However, repeated controversies over excessive repression and critical court rulings may trigger civil society and legal challenges.

In the mid- to long-term, the issue of concealment of agent identities is expected to emerge as a key issue. If criticism grows that wearing masks and not displaying identification numbers are used as a means of avoiding responsibility, this could lead to calls for transparency or discussions on legislation at the congressional level.

Interest from international human rights organizations is also expected. As patterns of use of physical force against immigrants in the United States are systematically documented, it is likely that this will be used as a basis for criticism of the United States' human rights record on the international stage in the future.