Gregory #Bovino has been removed from his role as #BorderPatrol “commander at large” & will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a #DHS official & 2 people with knowledge of the change.
Bovino’s sudden demotion is the clearest sign yet that the #Trump admin is reconsidering its most aggressive tactics after the killing Saturday of 37-year-old #AlexPretti by #CBP agents under Bovino’s command.
Gregory #Bovino has been removed from his role as #BorderPatrol “commander at large” & will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a #DHS official & 2 people with knowledge of the change.
Bovino’s sudden demotion is the clearest sign yet that the #Trump admin is reconsidering its most aggressive tactics after the killing Saturday of 37-year-old #AlexPretti by #CBP agents under Bovino’s command.
…Homeland Security Secretary #KristiNoem and her close adviser #CoreyLewandowski, who were Bovino’s biggest backers at #DHS, are also at risk of losing their jobs, two of the people said.
For the past 7 months, #Bovino has been the public face of a traveling #immigration crackdown on #cities governed by #Democrats. Noem & other #Trump officials gave Bovino the “commander” title & sent him & his masked #CBP agents to #Chicago, #Charlotte, #NewOrleans, & then #Minneapolis.
#Bovino became a #MAGA social-media star as he traveled the country with his own film crew & used social media to hit back at Democratic politicians & random critics online. Veteran #ICE & #CBP ofcls grew more & more uneasy as Bovino worked outside his agency’s chain of command & appeared to relish his role as a political actor.
In #Minneapolis, the #Trump admin used Bovino as its lead spox, scheduling daily pressera where he defended agents’ rough tactics & blamed protesters & local ofcls.
