US Border Patrol chief Gregory “Greg” Bovino, who has been at the centre of fierce criticism following a second fatal shooting amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, is expected to leave the city on Tuesday along with other agents, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In a sign of a softer tone from President Donald Trump on the crackdown, the US leader has scaled back federal presence in Minneapolis and replaced Bovino with his border czar, Tom Homan.
The shift in tone comes after 37-year-old ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by federal immigration officers, which has intensified scrutiny of the crackdown and sparked widespread protests against the presence of federal immigration agents in the state. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other lawmakers had also demanded the withdrawal of ICE agents from the state.
Just a few weeks earlier, a 37-year-old woman and mother of three, Renée Good, was fatally shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer while she was behind the wheel of her car.
Who is Gregory Bovino?
Bovino has become the face of the immigration enforcement operation, drawing fresh condemnation for claiming that Pretti had been carrying a gun and was planning to “massacre” law enforcement officers, despite video footage filmed from several angles showing Pretti holding a cell phone in his hand, and no sign of him wielding a weapon.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the hotel where Bovino was believed to be staying, blowing whistles, banging pots and, at one point, even blasting a trombone in a noisy demonstration aimed at disrupting federal agents inside. This disruptive but non-violent method of protesting is similar to protests following Renée Good’s death earlier in January.
Bovino has frequently appeared at anti-ICE protests, often without his face covered, unlike other agents, and easily recognisable for his distinctive long army-green overcoat, which has prompted comparisons to be made to the military-style attire of a Nazi officer.
The Border Patrol commander also faced fierce criticism from local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats for his leading role in highly visible federal crackdowns.
Trump has a call with Minnesote governor Walz
In what appeared to be a thaw in their relationship, Trump said he had a “very good call” with Democratic Governor Tim Walz and that the two “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
Walz, on his end, described the call on social media platform X as “productive” and called on the White House to launch impartial investigations.
“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” he wrote in a separate post.
The US president also spoke with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, similarly calling it a “very good telephone coversation”.
“Lots of progress is being made! Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Additional sources • AP