Appeals court blocks judge's order restricting use of force during federal immigration crackdown in Chicago

Source: CNN US

PUBLISHED Nov 19, 2025, 7:21 PM ET


A US appeals court has temporarily blocked an order curtailing federal immigration enforcement in Chicago, arguing the lower court judge overstepped when she imposed strict and wide-reaching restraints on how agents can interact with protesters and journalists.

A three-judge panel for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to pause the order issued by US District Court Judge Sara Ellis earlier this month.

In an incremental victory for the Trump administration, the appeals panel concluded Ellis’s order was “too prescriptive,” writing in their decision that she is “impermissibly infringing” on the separation of powers between the executive branch and the courts.

This is yet another twist in what has been a tense legal showdown in Chicago between the administration — which desires wide latitude to use force on protesters who it says are violently hindering its immigration agents — and the judge — who has expressed deep skepticism over the government’s presentation of the facts in court.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/us/chicago-immigration-agents-use-force