Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino — a central figure in the Trump administration’s campaign to arrest and deport criminal illegal immigrants — will be leaving Minnesota, along with an unspecified number of U.S. Border Patrol agents, amid deadly clashes between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators.
Multiple federal sources claim Bovino and some agents are expected to depart the state as soon as Tuesday, the same day President Trump announced he would deploy border czar Tom Homan to take the lead in Minnesota.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Bovino on Monday, calling him a “wonderful man, and he’s a great professional.” She added, “He is going to very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol, throughout and across the country,” while noting that “Mr. Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis to follow up.”
Before overseeing border operations nationwide, Bovino served as chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector in Southern California, which covers 70 miles of the U.S.–Mexico border and includes Imperial and Riverside counties. He has drawn criticism from opponents of President Trump’s deportation efforts over the tactics used by federal immigration authorities to apprehend criminal illegal aliens.
News of Bovino’s departure follows a turbulent weekend in which 37-year-old nurse Alex J. Pretti was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. Pretti, who was armed with a handgun, was filming federal officers on a city street at the time of the incident.
Trump said Homan will report “directly to me” and will help lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight. He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.”
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