A series of public statements from the Department of Homeland Security during its migrant crackdown in Chicago and across the country has been contradicted or undermined by local officials, a civil rights attorney and a legal filing.

These issues have been particularly notable in three prominent incidents: the arrest of a WGN employee, the shooting of a US citizen accused of ramming police vehicles and ICE’s detention of a 13-year-old in Massachusetts.

A closer look at the incidents underscores the broader skepticism of the Department of Homeland Security’s statements as federal agents have moved into city streets in Chicago and elsewhere.

Last week, a federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois, saying its statements about protests were “not reliable.” The administration had highlighted several arrests for carrying weapons and assaulting federal agents – but the judge responded that federal grand juries had refused to indict at least three of those arrested, indicating a lack of probable cause.

“In addition to demonstrating a potential lack of candor by these affiants, it also calls into question their ability to accurately assess the facts,” US District Court Judge April Perry wrote in her order of those incidents.

A judge openly questioning the credibility of law enforcement reflects a larger problem and raises questions as to what recourse ordinary citizens