The Hennepin County Attorney's Office in Minnesota has launched a criminal investigation into Greg Bovino, the former Border Patrol chief under Donald Trump, and officers under his command. The probe covers at least 17 incidents during a weeks-long immigration enforcement surge in the state, where Bovino and his team have been accused of unlawfully targeting immigrants and citizens and violently clashing with protesters.
Among the incidents under review is Bovino lobbing a smoke canister into a crowd. The investigation, part of the county's 'Transparency and Accountability Project,' aims to determine whether any laws were broken. 'We will investigate and pursue charging where appropriate,' said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, adding that they are 'not afraid of any legal fight.'
Bovino was reportedly pulled out of Minnesota after agents under his command fatally shot two demonstrators. Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti in January, weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good. No charges have been filed in either case. Following public outrage and bipartisan pressure, Trump deployed border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, and Bovino was reassigned to a post in southern California.
Bovino's operations in Chicago also faced controversy, including a federal judge banning officers from using tear gas and riot weapons after behavior that 'shocks the conscience.' In one incident, a Border Patrol agent shot a woman five times; charges against her were later dropped. Bovino reportedly congratulated the officer and offered to extend his service. The victim, Marimar Martinez, is suing the administration.
Before the Chicago deployment, Bovino resisted internal efforts to focus on targeted arrests rather than large-scale sweeps. ICE's acting director Todd Lyons directed him to focus on known immigration violators, but Bovino declined, stating he reports to Corey Lewandowski, a top aide to Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem.
Following Pretti's killing, state law enforcement sued to block Homeland Security from destroying evidence. A federal judge initially granted the order but later reversed it. The administration has blocked state access to evidence in that case. Hennepin County has opened a portal for public information on Pretti's death, and his family has urged a joint FBI and state investigation.
