Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief who rose rapidly by leading large-scale immigration sweeps, has stepped down in the wake of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, shooting, a turn that appears to have become a political liability for the Trump camp. Earlier, Bovino led operations largely in Democratic strongholds, drawing a fierce public backlash.
Bovino previously served as a field commander overseeing parts of California's border region. But after President Donald Trump, in his second term, outlined a course to extend immigrant enforcement beyond the border, he is seen as having significantly expanded his reach. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deployed the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) not to the border line but into major cities, and Bovino took the lead in operations in big cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.
Backed by the confidence of President Trump and Homeland Security Minister Kristi Noem, Bovino cast himself as more than a commander. He actively used social media (SNS) to release raid footage and scenes from operations, and amplified his profile by engaging in open, heated spats with critics. His image—cropped hair in an olive uniform, pushing through protest lines with masked agents—was seen by supporters as a "symbol of restoring order," and by the progressive camp as a "symbol of fear and intimidation."
However, over time Bovino's hard-line tactics appear to have accumulated fallout. In Chicago, federal agents used rubber bullets and tear gas against journalists and protesters, triggering lawsuits, and a federal judge publicly criticized the actions as "force that shocks the conscience." The ruling also stated that Bovino gave multiple false accounts of how tear gas was deployed against protesters.
Ultimately, as a series of incidents this year involved federal agents fatally shooting U.S. citizens, Bovino's standing quickly deteriorated. On the 7th, Rene Nicole Goode, a woman in her 30s, was killed by gunfire from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and 17 days later, Alex Pretty, a man in his 30s, was also shot dead; Bovino faced a fierce backlash after defending the agents immediately after the incidents. He was reported to have claimed that "the person killed in the shooting was a terrorist who tried to massacre law enforcement officers."
As the political burden shifted to the Trump camp, the White House moved to distance itself from Bovino. Some Republican lawmakers raised the need for an independent investigation, and President Trump, in a media interview, drew a line by saying, "Bovino is capable but a bit out-there." Responsibility for the Minneapolis operation has been handed to Tom Homan, known as the "border czar," and Bovino is effectively seen as having stepped back from the front line.
Bovino's actions are seen as having further worsened public opinion toward the Trump administration's immigration enforcement. According to a Reuters poll of U.S. adults conducted on the 23rd to 25th, support for President Trump's immigration policy stood at 39%, the lowest of his second term. By contrast, opposition to the policy topped 53%.