The photo shows U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino inside his U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle as he departs the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago. Bovino had just attended a hearing to answer allegations of excessive use of force, including tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets, by his federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area. In this moment, he was sitting in his vehicle, surrounded by a mass of media and protesters. It's an image of federal authority facing public and judicial scrutiny.
How did you get the photo?
Bovino was escorted by a big crew of federal agents, and the majority of journalists were waiting on the wrong side of the courthouse. When we all realized the move, it was a dead sprint to the north side of the building. By the time I got there, he was already in his car, waving. It was pure chaos—TV crews, protesters and photographers all fighting for space. I had to squeeze my way in, pressing right up against the car door, with arms and cameras extended everywhere. I couldn't even see through the viewfinder; I was just holding the camera up and hoping I'd get a good photo before he drove off. It wasn't until later that I realized I got this specific, clear photo through the window that reflected the scrum of people all angling to get a picture.
Technical details:
Equipment: Canon EOS R5
Focal length: 50 mm
Exposure: 1/250; f/2.8
ISO: 800
28 more great photos from Sun-Times photographers:
U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino walks out of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after testifying during a hearing about immigration enforcement in Chicago on Tuesday.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino gives hand signals to agents while exiting the Dirksen Federal Courthouse after testifying during a hearing about immigration enforcement in Chicago on Tuesday.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Protesters march westbound on 26th Street in Little Village over recent federal law enforcement raids in the Chicago area, as part of Operation Midway Blitz on Oct. 25.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
A mark under Arnoldo Carrillo’s face is visible as he stands inside a home in East Chicago, Indiana, on Wednesday. The Carrillo siblings are trying to get their brother, mother and father home after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and a member of the U.S. Marshals Service entered their home in Gary on Oct. 23. Arnoldo said his mother was in a facility in El Paso, Texas, while his brother was at Lake County Juvenile Detention Center in Crown Point and his father was at Hammond Police Department.
Sun-Times staff
A federal immigration enforcement agent wearing a number written in marker on tape on his uniform gives a candy bar to an activist during a stop at a Shell gas station at South Archer Avenue and South Halsted Street on the South Side on Tuesday.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Federal immigration enforcement agents yell at a driver for trailing their caravan as they travel around the South Side on Tuesday.
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Construction workers pause their work to watch and show support for federal immigration enforcement protesters as they march on 26th Street in Little Village on Oct. 25.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem discusses recent results of Operation Midway Blitz during a news conference at a National Guard facility in Gary, Indiana, on Thursday.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
The sun sets over the Burnham Park Promontory Point at 5491 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Jackson Park on Thursday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Supporters gather outside the Peoria County Courthouse while jurors deliberate the first-degree murder charges against ex-cop Sean Grayson for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey on Tuesday.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
The Seldoms perform “Superbloom,” a full-length multimedia dance work about radical beauty, wildness and wildflowers, during the Half-Earth Day event at the Field Museum on Wednesday.
Barry Brecheisen/For the Sun-Times
Actor Harrison Ford receives the E.O. Wilson Legacy Award for Transformative Conservation Leadership during the Half-Earth Day event at the Field Museum on Wednesday.
Barry Brecheisen/For the Sun-Times
CPS lunchroom workers protest outside of CPS headquarters at 42 W. Madison St. on Monday. The workers are protesting for better wages and fully staffed kitchens after three months of contract negotiations.
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111 N. Canal St. will be the home of tech incubator 1871 in the Near West Side.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Volunteers load groceries into vehicles at a food distribution site in Richmond Park on Thursday.
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Aubrey Lewandowski, a SNAP benefit recipient from Palos Hills and the mother of four kids, says she relies on the benefits to keep her kids fed and healthy.
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Workers protest outside of Starbucks at 2101 W. Armitage Ave. on Wednesday.
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Brian Kolp stands in his yard on the 3700 block of North Kildare Avenue in Irving Park on Sunday. Residents were exposed to tear gas as federal immigration enforcement agents detained three people in the neighborhood.
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The red pozole topped with chili peppers, onions, cilantro, cabbage, and a lime wedge, served at Pozoleria El Mexicano at 5037 W. Diversey Parkway in Belmont Cragin.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Founder Bruce Finkelman stands at the entrance of The Empty Bottle in West Town on Monday. Empty Bottle is celebrating its 33 1/3 anniversary with a 10-day run of concerts as a nod to its tradition of championing local music.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
David Byrne performs at the Auditorium theatre in The Loop on Tuesday.
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A variety of drinks and food items, including a plate of Pierogi Benedict, at Spoko, a restaurant at 723 W. Armitage Ave.
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The bacon-wrapped plums served at Staropolska at 303 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Avondale.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal attends a shadow hearing about immigration enforcement at the George W. Dunne Cook County Administration Building in the Loop on Oct. 24.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The Roosevelt Collection Shops at 150 W. Roosevelt Road in the Loop.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a luncheon at the Hilton Chicago in the Loop on Oct. 24.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chester Wilson, right, former chief of staff to former Ald. Carrie Austin, leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in The Loop, with attorney Tomas Breen after pleading guilty to corruption charges on Wednesday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The Edgewater Beach Apartments at 5555 N. Sheridan Road in Edgewater.
