- The commander of the border guard, Bovin, was allegedly dismissed from his post.
- The Department of Homeland Security officially denied the appeal.
- Bovino was the face of the crackdown on illegal migrants in the US.
The commander of the US Border Guard, Gregory Bovin, has been removed from his post, The Atlantic magazine reported on Monday, citing an official of the Department of Homeland Security and two other sources familiar with the situation. Bovino will reportedly return to his previous position in California and is expected to retire soon. However, the US Department of Homeland Security denies reports of Bovin’s dismissal. TASR informs about it according to the reports of Reuters and DPA and The Atlantic magazine.
In addition to Bovin from Minneapolis, where anti-immigration operations of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been taking place in recent times, according to American media, other of his agents will also leave in the coming days.
ICE raids in Minneapolis
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed on social network X on Tuesday night after a phone call with US President Donald Trump that some federal agents will leave the area on Tuesday.
US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin denied reports on the X Network that Bovin had been fired. According to her, Bovino is “a key part of the president’s team and a great American.”
Mission in cities controlled by Democrats
The Atlantic notes that Bovino has been the public face of the crackdown on illegal immigrants in Democratic-governed cities for the past few months. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials gave him the title of “commander” and sent him and his border agents to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and then Minneapolis. Bovino traveled with his own film crew and became popular on social media in Trump’s informal MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, according to the magazine.
In Minneapolis, Bovino defended the agents’ handling of the anti-immigration crackdown that sparked protests at daily news conferences.
A shootout with consequences
News of Bovin’s alleged recall came two days after ICE agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American citizen who worked at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis on Saturday. Federal authorities say Pretti threatened the agents with a gun. However, according to Reuters, in the published images, it can be seen that he had a mobile phone in his hand, which he used to film the agents. Earlier, he tried to help a woman who was thrown to the ground by agents.
At a news conference after the shooting, Bovino repeated statements by the Department of Homeland Security that agents fired “defensive shots” when approached by a man with a gun during an operation as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. According to the statement, he put up “violent resistance” against his disarmament. Bovino repeatedly claimed that the victims were border agents, not Pretti.
Responses to incidents
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not provide a clear answer Monday when asked if Bovino would remain in Minnesota. She called Bovina a “great professional,” who will continue to lead U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Already on January 7, ICE agents in Minneapolis fatally wounded American Renée Good, who allegedly tried to hit one of them with a car. That claim is disputed by videos from the scene, which show Good’s vehicle evading the agent.
After Pretti’s killing, Trump sent Tom Homan, his administration’s border security chief, to Minnesota.
Crisis in the administration
Citing two sources, The Atlantic also reported that Minister Noemová and her advisor Corey Lewandowski are also at risk of losing their positions.
