Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, along with several agents, is expected to leave Minneapolis Tuesday, according to reports. These reports follow President Donald Trump’s announcement that “border czar” Tom Homan is now leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota.
Minnesota, especially Minneapolis, has seen growing protests after the Trump administration sent the largest deployment of ICE agents into the state following allegations of mass fraud committed by Somali migrants. Protests grew even larger after agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens.
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CNN reports that Bovino and the agents will return to their respective sectors. Sources the publication spoke to said it was a “mutual decision” for Bovino and the administration.
What’s the reason for the leadership change?
The administration didn’t give a reason for the shift in leadership. Regarding Homan’s new placement, Trump didn’t say why Homan would lead ICE’s Minnesota operation instead of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The administration was equally tight-lipped about Bovino’s departure.
CNN cited three unnamed sources that said White House officials were upset over Noem’s and Bovino’s response following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents. One official said Trump spent hours Sunday and Monday watching news coverage of the shooting. They said he was unhappy with how his administration was coming across.
Others told CNN that Bovino made things worse after he claimed Pretti intended to “massacre” federal agents because he was legally carrying a handgun with two magazines of ammo. They were equally displeased after Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and accused him of brandishing his handgun, which videos later refuted.
Reaction to White House response
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to distance the White House from Bovino and Noem’s comments during Monday’s press briefing. She told reporters that their stances were not a position Trump has personally taken.
During the news conference, Leavitt did not specifically say that Bovino was leaving Minnesota but did say Homan was the new “main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis.” However, she did say Bovino would still lead ICE operations nationwide.
Bovino has become the public face of ICE operations in the second Trump administration. His aggressive and highly publicized operations drew criticism from local officials and authorities, CNN reports.
In one instance, Chicago federal Judge Sara Ellis accused Bovino of lying about his justification to use tear gas against protesters.
“Video evidence ultimately disproved this,” Ellis said. “Defendant Bovino admitted that he lied.”
