While federal agents shoot less lethal projectiles at protesters, media, and legal observers, and blanket the streets of Broadview with tear gas, DHS is using the chaos to create content.
Creating content at the expense of American citizens isn’t anything new for the Trump administration. In August, the White House’s Twitter account posted a dramatic video showing two dozen federal agents conducting an arrest. While I was able to confirm the video captured the second arrest of Sean Dunn, who was seen on camera throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal agent, I was unable to figure out how rehearsed the actions were.
But in Broadview, I have been privy to a front row seat for DHS’s rehearsals. Under the direction of chief patrol agent Greg Bovino, agents have coordinated dramatic openings and closings of the controversial (and possibly illegal) fence that separates the facility from protesters. One photographer told me that, after asking who he was shooting for, Bovino seemed to intentionally pose himself for the photographer’s camera throughout the nice.
Their hard work paid off last Friday, October 3rd, when DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made an appearance on the roof of the detention center.
At the 2:04 mark of this video, Greg Bovino leads a mass of federal agents down the service road, toward protesters and Illinois State Police. Bovino makes dramatic hand gestures as he walks toward the state troopers, while masked men wearing hi-vis vests from DHS’s Office of Public Affairs (PAO) scurry around, filming the experience. Sure, protesters are yelling “fuck you, Greg Bovino, you’re scum of the earth” and “get the fuck out of our state, you fascist scum.” But DHS isn’t going to use the audio, anyway — they seem to prefer nostalgic music.
Throughout the video, drones capture footage of the crowd. The FAA ordered a 12 day ban on drones in the area, beginning October 1, meaning the drones are part of DHS’s campaign. At 4:49, a drone buzzes around as agents hang off of a Bearcat, driving by protesters and single family homes (the Bearcat drove down the block, before turning around and returning to the facility).
Earlier this week, DHS posted a video on Twitter featuring Bovino and protesters, just one of many the account has made mocking and disparaging Americans.
Journalists and activists have filed a lawsuit over the very brutality and forced used against them in the creation of these videos. Today, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that bars agents from arresting press, or from using tear gas and pepper spray on media and peaceful protesters (a decision I fully support after being personally shot at and shot in Broadview). Dumping tear gas on peaceful crowds makes for great footage, but DHS will have to figure out something else for now.
Here are some more photos of Broadview on 10/3/25, courtesy of a Texas based freelancer who has allowed me to republish them here. You can see the use of agents’ cell phone cameras and drones to capture the moment.
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