Greg Bovino ‘loses top job at Border Patrol’ and LOCKED OUT of social media amid fallout over Alex Pretti shooting

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, a key figure in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, has been reassigned and sent back to California.

Bovino will return to his old job in El Centro, Calif., and is expected to retire soon, The Atlantic reported Monday, citing a Homeland Security official and two people with knowledge of the change.

The government’s social media accounts were also suspended at the behest of his boss, Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott, Homeland Security sources confirmed to the Daily Mail.

The impact comes after Bovino spent the weekend defending the shooting death of 37-year-old critical care nurse Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street.

He had tweeted ‘don’t attack federal officials’ multiple times in response to random X users sharing biographical information that portrayed Pretti in a positive light.

In response to an account claiming that Pretti ‘never produced a gun,’ Bovino wrote that ‘the SUSPECT confronted and assaulted officers and was armed while doing so.’

He even sparred with lawmakers, including Republican Thomas Massie, who wrote that ‘carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it is a God-given right protected by the Constitution, and if you don’t understand that you have no business being in law enforcement or government.’

Bovino told Kentucky Congressman: ‘Attacking law enforcement is not a right you want.’

The commander also hit back at Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico; Both called for an independent investigation into the attack and author Stephen King.

The move will be part of a major reshuffle by the Trump administration at the request of Border Czar Tom Homan

After tweeting more than 40 responses to various reactions to the Pretti attack on Saturday and Sunday, Bovino’s X account has gone silent for the past 11 hours.

Tricia McLaughlin, deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said Bovino was not fired and remains “an important part of the president’s team.”

The move will be part of a major reshuffle by the Trump administration at the request of Border Czar Tom Homan.

Bovino, referred to as ‘Little Napoleon,’ and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were dismissed as Homan departed for Minneapolis.

He previously served as Chief Patrol Agent in the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector in southern California before being elevated during the second Trump administration.

Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed that President Trump had arranged a meeting between the two when Homan arrived.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Customs and Border Patrol for comment.

The decision is aimed at reducing violence between federal agents and insurgents that erupted Saturday after the killing of Pretti, an intensive care nurse.

Bovino, the controversial face of Trump’s crackdown and a close ally of Noem, sparked outrage in the White House when he claimed Pretti planned to ‘massacre’ federal agents.

Bovino, nicknamed ‘Little Napoleon,’ and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were dismissed as Homan (pictured) headed to Minneapolis.

Bovino reportedly lost access to the government’s social media accounts after spending much of the weekend arguing online over the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti (pictured)

Trump spent hours watching cable news broadcasts on Sunday and Monday and was disturbed by how the administration was portrayed, an official told CNN.

Noem branded the ICU nurse a ‘domestic terrorist’ and claimed he was brandishing a firearm, sparking further frustration among administration officials.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Noem’s language on Monday, arguing that it was not a position the President had taken.

Bovino is loyal to Noem and her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski, and both have quietly put him forward as a potential candidate to replace current Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, a longtime Homan ally.

In an unprecedented move within the agency, Noem tried to sideline Scott by having Bovino report directly to her.

Bovino’s removal from Minneapolis underscores the weakening of Noem’s standing with the White House as Trump dispatched Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground.

Bovino, a 30-year Border Patrol veteran, was selected last year to lead the highly publicized immigration crackdown across the country from his post as chief patrol agent in the agency’s El Centro sector in Southern California.

Their aggressive tactics, often highly choreographed public demonstrations, sparked a backlash from local authorities.

Bovino stood out as the only agent who often wore a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations.

The decision is aimed at reducing violence between federal agents and insurgents that erupted Saturday after the killing of Pretti, an intensive care nurse.

Bovino stood out as the only agent who often wore a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations.

It went viral on social media as he was often seen on the front lines wearing a serious buzzcut and a trench coat, which German media likened to a ‘Nazi aesthetic’.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X: ‘Greg Bovino was dressed as if he had gone on eBay and bought SS clothes. ‘Greg Bovino, secret police, private army, masked men, people literally disappearing, no due process.’

Bovino countered by claiming that he had had the coat for more than 25 years and that it was official Border Patrol merchandise.

Jenn Budd, an author and expert on the Border Patrol, described Bovino as the agency’s “Freedom.”

‘He was a little Napoleon who wanted you to think that he was the most moral and capable man in the world and that everything around you was dangerous, but he’s the one who’s going to save you,’ Budd told The Times. ‘This is all a show for him.’

He once invited reporters to watch him swim through a canal in Southern California’s Imperial Valley in an attempt to deter immigrants from considering crossing.

After Trump was re-elected, Bovino used similar public relations expertise to get the president’s attention.

He sent dozens of agents to detain immigrants at highway gas stations ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

When asked why Bovino was chosen to head the force, McLaughlin told reporters bluntly: ‘Because he’s a pain in the ass.’

But while Bovino’s strongman image has earned him Trump’s respect, his self-proclaimed “spin and burn” enforcement strategies have raised concerns.

A federal judge in November accused Bovino of being “fugitive” and at times “blatantly lying” in affidavits about Chicago’s immigration crackdown, finding his account “simply unconvincing.”

Judge Sara Ellis wrote that Bovino even admitted to lying about being hit with a rock before ordering the use of tear gas, noting that the video evidence clearly contradicted his claim that he never tackled a protester.