Bovino: 700 Agents Left Minnesota in Move He Calls Surrender

Greg Bovino said 700 federal immigration agents withdrew from Minnesota, a move he characterized as a surrender by the Trump administration. The former border patrol chief made the remarks in an interview with the BBC while speaking in Detroit.

Bovino stated that deportations in Minneapolis are now at a virtual standstill. He expressed regret for not arresting more undocumented immigrants in the state during the initial phase of the operation. He described his officers as the primary victims of what he termed the most violence faced by a law enforcement mission in United States history.

The agent withdrawal followed the January shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Both incidents were captured on video and triggered widespread protests and a bipartisan political backlash. President Donald Trump announced he would de-escalate the situation, leading to the removal of hundreds of agents from the city. Tom Homan, the White House border tsar, subsequently took command of the remaining operation.

Bovino, 56, was removed from his post shortly after the shootings. He said he had not received a final explanation from the administration for his dismissal. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary at the time, was fired by Trump in March. Bovino has since retired from the border patrol and is currently campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement.

In Detroit, Bovino floated the possibility of exploring a presidential run in 2028. He suggested that if current politicians do not fulfill their duties, voters might see a new candidate emerge. He recently addressed a far-right rally in Michigan where activists demanded the deportation of Abdul El-Sayed, a US-born citizen and Democratic Senate candidate.

Good’s family filed two civil lawsuits against the administration earlier this month. The filings allege wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of protesters. One lawsuit names Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, for their individual roles in the operation. The family’s lawyers responded to Bovino’s recent comments by describing them as propaganda and saying they look forward to depositions.

Bovino disputed the claim that video evidence undermines his assertion that Good and Pretti intended to harm agents. He maintained that violence was perpetrated against US government agents. Trump initially described Good as violently running over an officer, but later called her death a tragedy and acknowledged that agents sometimes make mistakes.