Gregory Bovino, the border patrol commander who became the public face of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, is being removed from his post following the fatal shooting of nurse Alex Pretti. The Trump administration has reportedly stripped him of his specially created ‘commander at large’ title and is sending him back to his previous role as chief patrol agent along the US-Mexico border in California.
The leadership change comes as President Donald Trump distances himself from earlier characterisations of Pretti as an ‘assassin’ made by his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Trump now describes the killing as a ‘very unfortunate incident’ and says his administration is reviewing the shooting. Bovino himself had claimed that border patrol officials were the real victims in the escalating situation.
A senior administration official confirmed that Bovino would leave Minnesota along with some of the agents deployed with him. Tom Homan, the so-called border czar, has been dispatched to oversee Operation Metro Surge, reporting directly to the president. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s top federal judge has summoned acting ICE head Todd Lyons to appear in court on Friday for allegedly defying court orders, warning that ‘the court’s patience is at an end’.
News of Bovino’s departure did not stop dozens of protesters gathering outside a hotel where they believed he was staying. Demonstrators blew whistles, banged pots, and played a trombone while police kept them away from the entrance. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, struck a conciliatory tone, calling Pretti’s death a ‘tragedy’ and appearing to walk back previous comments from Miller.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has called for a full investigation into the shootings of Pretti and Renee Good, criticising the Trump administration for targeting American citizens. Pretti’s union, AFGE Local 3669, expressed disgust at the ‘abhorrent rhetoric’ and demanded a ‘full, transparent, independent third-party investigation’ into his killing.
