Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino has been removed from his role as “commander at large” and will return to his former post in El Centro, neighboring San Diego County, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a Department of Homeland Security official and two people familiar with the decision.
Criticism has increased around Bovino in the last few days after his public defense of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents under his command.
For months, Bovino has led high-profile federal operations in Democratic-led cities including Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis, drawing sharp criticism from local officials, civil rights groups and congressional Democrats.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he spoke with President Donald Trump about the enforcement surge and that some federal officers will begin leaving the city as early as Tuesday.
President Trump signaled a tactical shift on social media, noting a “good conversation” with Frey and announcing that former ICE chief Tom Homan, designated as the administration’s “border czar,” will take over federal operations in Minnesota.
Bovino’s return to El Centro marks a notable scaling back of his national role in the administration’s immigration efforts. As sector chief in El Centro, he previously directed hundreds of agents in large-scale operations across Southern California, including Los Angeles, before being tapped to lead the traveling enforcement surge.
His tenure in the El Centro sector also included a controversial operation last January dubbed “Return to Sender” in Bakersfield, where Border Patrol agents arrested nearly 80 people, with most having no known criminal or immigration history, according to inewsource. Bovino hailed the operation as a success, touting arrests of “criminals,” while the ACLU and immigrant attorneys called it a violation of due process and a “fishing expedition.”
A lawsuit named Bovino and other officials, warning the raid could be a model for future enforcement far from the border. The suit led to a federal injunction restricting similar enforcement actions by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in California’s Eastern District. The federal government moved to lift that injunction, with a hearing scheduled for Feb. 5, according to 23 ABC News Bakersfield.
Associated Press contributed to this article.
