Gregory Bovino, a top Border Patrol official who led the Trump administration’s military-style immigration crackdown in cities across the United States, is expected to retire at the end of the month. Bovino, who served as commander-at-large of the Border Patrol’s roving operations in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, faced frequent accusations of excessive force and racial profiling, which he denied.
Bovino returned to his position as chief patrol agent in the El Centro sector of California in January after federal agents involved in the Minneapolis operation fatally shot two American citizens. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Bovino had not submitted retirement paperwork, but critics celebrated his impending exit, with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker vowing to hold him accountable.
Bovino is reportedly under investigation by local authorities for the Minnesota operation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened an internal investigation into whether he made disparaging remarks about the faith of a Jewish federal prosecutor in Minnesota. During his tenure, Bovino employed “turn and burn” tactics, deploying large numbers of agents for aggressive mass raids, often wearing face masks and using unmarked vehicles.
In Chicago, a federal judge restrained Border Patrol agents from using certain types of force and accused Bovino of lying about officers’ tactics. The Independent uncovered that elite agents wore Meta AI sunglasses to record members of the public, violating government policy. Bovino’s publicity stunts, including saluting from his car and wearing a mid-1900s military great coat, drew comparisons to fascist leaders.
