* Your tax dollars at work…

U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino led a caravan of SUVs through Chicago and into the suburbs Wednesday morning, making at least one arrest after making a surprise return to the city a day earlier and targeting immigrant communities.

A caravan of SUVs with out-of-state license plates were seen traveling near Midway International Airport, then continuing through the North Side of Chicago and into Evanston.

Border Patrol agents arrested at least one man at a Mobil gas station in the northern suburb, 1950 Green Bay Road. Bovino then held what amounted to an impromptu news conference, telling a crowd that he couldn’t provide a reason for the arrest because his agents were “still running checks.” […]

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democrat who is now running for Congress, was among the crowd that gathered at the gas station. He demanded that an agent show him “evidence” tied to the arrest.

Black Hawk helicopters don’t come cheap…

At least eight agents, including Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, were present outside the Home Depot located at 2201 Oakton St., according to multiple photos and videos posted on social media and verified by The Daily. Mayor Daniel Biss, who was present at the scene, said he saw at least two people taken by the agents in a video posted on Instagram at 12:40 p.m.

At least one CBP-operated Black Hawk helicopter was also seen circling overhead the Home Depot, according to a video sent to The Daily.

Black Hawk helicopters were also seen circling near Ryan Field, according to an employee who works at a nearby Central Street business. The employee said they last heard the helicopters at 12:15 p.m.

“We’re here for the taxpayer,” Bovino told the Tribune today.

…Adding… Speaking of wasting money, here’s the Tribune…

The 300 Illinois National Guard troops under Republican President Donald Trump’s control since early October — despite Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections — will remain federalized until mid-April, even though the Guard members have carried out no significant operational missions and have spent most of their time stationed at a northern Illinois base. […]

The Illinois Guard members in question have been staying at an Illinois Army National Guard training site in Marseilles, a state-owned military base about 75 miles southwest of Chicago, and have never deployed for the Trump administration’s stated purpose of protecting federal officers and assets.

* Video of Biss confronting Bovino…

Original video is here.

* Bovino told the Tribune today that Mayor Biss “asked why we were there, and when I told him it was to make his city a safer place, I saw just a brief instance of enlightenment on his face, but then he sank back into the usual tired rhetoric that causes violence. So unfortunately, that’s what some of those leaders have come to do. But we’re here to do a legal, ethical and moral mission. We’re going to continue that.” You can hear much of the conversation in this video…

* Bovino also praised the Evanston PD for its recent assistance. “I think they’re probably learning a little bit from Louisiana how an orderly, safe enforcement action works.” A spokesperson for Biss said the assistance was “Traffic enforcement.” Click the pic to see the video…

* Clip of an agent telling Biss he’s getting “a little too close to my weapons”…

Original video is here.

* More from Isabel…

* Evanston Now | Immigration raids return to Evanston: The station manager told Evanston Now’s Jeff Hirsh that the agents came into the station to buy snacks and asked to use the bathroom. He said that as far as he could tell nobody was arrested during the event. Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew says it was not immediately clear whether anyone had been taken into custody at the gas station. The federal agents then moved to the Home Depot on Oakton Street in Evanston where Evanston Now’s Matthew Eadie reports at least one or possibly two people were taken into custody and the window of a truck was smashed by agents as they tried to make an arrest.

* The Daily Northwestern | Live: 2 people reported taken at Oakton Home Depot amid continued federal immigration presence in Evanston: Black Hawk helicopters were also seen circling near Ryan Field, according to an employee who works at a nearby Central Street business. The employee said they last heard the helicopters at 12:15 p.m. At least one CBP-operated H125 helicopter was also seen flying over Evanston, according to photos and videos verified by The Daily as well as flight transponder data. One H125 helicopter circled over the Northwestern campus for over 30 minutes before it stopped transmitting position data around 11:50 a.m.

* Crain’s | Border Patrol returns to haunt Chicago’s economy before holidays: Immigration raids have left their mark not only on communities but also in pockets of Chicago’s economy. Businesses in Little Village, known as the Mexico of the Midwest, saw sales drop as much as 50% to 70%, according to Jennifer Aguilar, the executive director of the neighborhood’s Chamber of Commerce. Sales tax revenue from the area, home to the city’s second-busiest retail corridor, slumped 32% in October from a year earlier, according to data from the Illinois Department of Revenue analyzed by Bloomberg. Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said workers were missing shifts in both local and restaurant chains due to fear of immigration enforcement. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, which include executives from McDonald’s Corp., Ulta Beauty Inc. and Morningstar Inc., said earlier this year that Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago was hurting their “businesses’ bottom lines.”

* ABC Chicago | Apparent arrest made by federal agents in Chicago area amid concerns of Bovino’s return: One business owner told ABC7 they started locking their doors, again, in an effort to protect their customers. Some tables have stood empty at Nuevo León, since “Operation Midway Blitz” began, the owner says. Although there was a glimmer of hope, of a possible return to normalcy when Bovino seemingly left the area in November, customers never quite fully returned.

* WIRED | Border Patrol Bets on Small Drones to Expand US Surveillance Reach: New market research conducted this month shows that, rather than relying on larger, centralized drone platforms, CBP is concentrating on lightweight uncrewed aircraft that can be launched quickly by small teams, remain operational under environmental stress, and relay surveillance data directly to frontline units. The documents emphasize portability, fast setup, and integration with equipment already used by border patrol. Those requirements build on earlier inquiries that show CBP steadily locking in its operational priorities: drones capable of detecting movement in remote terrain, rapidly cueing agents with coordinates, and functioning reliably in heat, dust, and high winds. Past requests highlighted the integration of cameras, infrared sensors, and mapping software to help agents locate and intercept targeted people across deserts, rivers, and coastal corridors.