"The district court has now issued an extraordinary preliminary injunction that no less reflects an improper aggrandizement of the judicial role and a violation of the separation of powers," the Department of Justice wrote in its request to the court. "What began as a complaint by journalists and protestors alleging that DHS officers targeted them with crowd-control devices at a handful of protests in September and early October has transformed into an instrument for judicial micromanagement of federal law-enforcement operations in the Chicago area."
Last week, district Judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction that extends restrictions on the use of force by federal immigration agents. Among other restrictions, the order prohibits federal agents from "using riot control weapons" against journalists, demonstrators and religious practitioners without first issuing warnings unless necessary to stop immediate threats of physical harms to agents or others.
In its motion, DOJ calls the order "overbroad and unworkable."
"This overbroad and unworkable injunction has no basis in law, threatens the safety of federal officers, and violates the separation of powers. Plaintiffs lack standing to seek this sweeping prospective relief based solely on past incidents of alleged misconduct that they only speculate may recur," the government wrote. "The injunction is also unworkable in practice, transforming a single district court into a supervisory tribunal for adjudicating the lawfulness of federal officers' day-to-day operations."
The injunction affects federal agents' use of force as part of "Operation Midway Blitz."
Ellis said the government lied under oath, saying federal agents' conduct in the Chicagoland area shows no signs of stopping.
The U.S. Department of Homeland previously appealed Judge Ellis' order.
The injunction largely mirrors and replaces the temporary restraining order that preceded it, forbidding the use of force against journalists and peaceful protesters and strictly limiting the manner and place in which chemical agents may be deployed.
Hours of testimony from elected officials, media representatives and others recounted being tear gassed and shot at with pepper bullets, all leading to the judge's decision.
She said agents' own body camera videos submitted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not match up with what DHS claims happened in several incidents from the past two months.
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She said the video showed clear excessive use of force against protesters amid immigration enforcement, whether at the Broadview ICE facility or out on the streets in the Chicago area, deploying tear gas without warning, instigating chaos and pushing protesters to the ground.
"It is difficult to see how an injunction requiring the government to follow the Constitution could possibly be harmful," the judge said.
She also disputed statements made during Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino's own recorded deposition, in which he defended his actions and those of federal agents.
Ellis called Bovino out for at least three instances in which his deposition contradicted the video evidence, including the Little Village incident on Oct. 23 when Bovino publicly said he had thrown a tear gas canister at protesters after being hit by a rock in the head. He later admitted, under oath, he had thrown it before.
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Although Bovino said, all uses of force and arrests that he's seen have been - "more than exemplary" and the government has argued, agents have the right to protect themselves.
It is worth noting that while the 7th Circuit did block Ellis' attempt to have Bovino meet with her daily, they did uphold the TRO that this order replaces. If it survives on appeal, the preliminary injunction will remain in effect until a trial on this case can be held.
ABC News contributed to this report.