ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Border Patrol commander leading an immigration crackdown in Chicago applauded his agents’ aggressive tactics that have prompted resident backlash and lawsuits.

From his use of chemical agents to a helicopter raid on an apartment building, Gregory Bovino defended the approach of U.S. Customs and Border Protection as appropriate and necessary for what he says are threats his agents have faced in the nation’s third-largest city.

“I didn’t have any reason to think it would be this bad, but it’s far worse than I ever thought,” Bovino told The Associated Press during a wide-ranging interview between meeting employees at a suburban CBP office and sitting for another deposition in growing litigation over his tactics.

More than 3,200 people with alleged immigration violation

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