Greg Bovino set to retire after exile from top Border Patrol job
Former Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino is set to retire, just months after being relieved of his duty to arrest and deport illegal immigrants in Minneapolis.
Bovino, 55, who has close ties to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will officially leave his post at the end of March, multiple sources said. ABC News.
He had spent the past months serving as CBP’s overall commander during multiple federal operations in major cities and carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Customs and Border Protection for comment.
In late January, Bovino was abruptly appointed from Minneapolis, where he was overseeing a highly controversial federal immigration crackdown that sparked nationwide protests and political backlash.
Dubbed ‘Little Napoleon’, Bovino and Noem stepped aside in favor of Border Czar Tom Homan.
President Donald Trump withdrew Bovino from the operation following public outcry over the tactics used by federal agents and deadly confrontations during enforcement actions.
The administration replaced him with border czar Tom Homan, who promised to ease tensions and take a different approach to the volatile situation.
Former Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino will retire just months after being relieved of his duty to arrest and deport illegal immigrants in Minneapolis
Bovino, 55, who has close ties to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will officially leave his post at the end of March.
Bovino had been a central figure in aggressive immigration enforcement strategies that embraced rapid response operations designed to quickly detain people suspected of being in the country illegally.
His leadership style and tactics have made him one of the most visible figures in federal immigration enforcement, and his reappointment marks a significant shift in leadership at a time of mounting political pressure.
Following unrest and deadly encounters in Minneapolis, the White House moved to replace him amid rising tensions and concerns about public backlash.
Bovino 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.
Pretti’s claim that he planned to ‘massacre’ federal agents initially sparked outrage in the White House.
Noem also branded the ICU nurse a “domestic terrorist” and claimed she was brandishing a firearm, sparking further frustration among administration officials.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Noem’s language in the following days, arguing that this was not a position taken by the President.
Bovino is loyal to Noem and her rumored beau Corey Lewandowski, and the pair have quietly pushed him as a potential candidate to replace current Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, a longtime Homan ally.
Bovino had been a central figure in aggressive immigration enforcement strategies that embraced rapid response operations designed to quickly detain people suspected of being in the country illegally.
Alex Pretti’s (pictured) claim that he planned to ‘massacre’ federal agents initially sparked outrage in the White House.
In an unprecedented move within the agency, Noem tried to sideline Scott by having Bovino report directly to her.
Bovino’s removal from Minneapolis underscored the weakening of Noem’s standing with the White House as Trump sent Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground.
Noem left her post last week and was reappointed to become Special Envoy for the new ‘Shield of the Americas’ initiative.
Bovino’s, a 30-year Border Patrol veteran The aggressive tactics, often highly choreographed public demonstrations, sparked a backlash from local officials.
He often stood out as the only agent wearing 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.
Bovino, dubbed ‘Little Napoleon’, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were dismissed, as was Border Czar Tom Homan (pictured)
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.
