Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino Removed from Minneapolis Post Amid ICE Backlash

As Minneapolis reels from a wave of unrest sparked by federal immigration enforcement, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has been relieved of his high-profile role in the Twin Cities and reassigned to his previous post in California. The move comes amid mounting pressure from both political opponents and some within the Trump administration.

Bovino had become the face of the Minnesota immigration operation a lightning rod for both praise and protest. But following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and an escalating standoff with left-wing officials, President Trump pulled the trigger on a strategic shift: dispatching former ICE Director and border hardliner Tom Homan to take over command.

“Greg Bovino is still part of the leadership team,” insisted Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin, trying to calm speculation. But the reality is clear: Bovino has been benched, and Homan is now the point man.

Key developments in the shake-up:

• Bovino has been reassigned to California’s El Centro Sector, a critical stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, but far from the national spotlight he occupied in Minneapolis.

• His official DHS social media accounts have been suspended, after sharp online clashes with critics and aggressive defenses of Border Patrol actions drew national attention.

• The White House is recalibrating enforcement tactics and media messaging, attempting to balance immigration priorities with political optics in a blue-state battleground.

The removal of Bovino comes just hours after Trump held “productive” phone calls with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both of whom have openly smeared ICE agents as modern-day Gestapo. Despite their inflammatory rhetoric, Trump signaled a willingness to work together for the sake of restoring peace though it’s clear he’s not backing down from enforcing immigration law.

Trump’s new envoy, Tom Homan, has long been a no-nonsense enforcer and staunch ally of the America First immigration agenda. His arrival signals a renewed focus on cleaning up the chaos not appeasing sanctuary city politicians.

“Tom Homan will be managing ICE operations on the ground in Minnesota and coordinating with others on the ongoing fraud investigations,” confirmed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Still, some in the administration are walking a political tightrope. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Bovino had reportedly clashed over enforcement tactics. And while the Trump team continues to support Border Patrol agents publicly, the reshuffling shows a desire to control the narrative as media attacks intensify.

Let’s not lose sight of the real issue here: federal agents were dispatched to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from a state that has openly defied federal law. What they’ve faced instead are violent left-wing mobs, radical Democrat leaders comparing them to Nazis, and now, calls to shut down the operation entirely.

Greg Bovino didn’t fail. He was smeared for doing his job enforcing U.S. immigration law in a state whose leaders prefer chaos over cooperation.

And while Democrats cheer his departure, they should be careful what they wish for. Because Tom Homan doesn’t play politics he plays for keeps.

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