CHICAGO —

A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily halted an order restricting the use of force by federal immigration agents in the Chicago area, calling it "overbroad" and "too prescriptive."

But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also cautioned against "overreading" its stay and said a quick appeal process could lead to a "more tailored and appropriate" order.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit filed by news outlets and protesters who claimed federal officers used excessive force during an immigration crackdown that has netted more than 3,000 arrests since September across the nation's third-largest city and its many suburbs.

Government attorneys had argued that the order restricted the enforcement o

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