Border Patrol’s “commander at large” Gregory Bovino has reportedly been removed from his role after the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, over the weekend.
Bovino, who has been the public face of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, is widely expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday, alongside some of his agents.
Sources told The Atlantic that Bovino will return to his former position as chief patrol agent in El Centro, California, following his demotion, and that he is expected to retire soon.
Highlights
- Gregory Bovino was removed from his Border Patrol 'commander at large' role after the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
- Bovino was demoted to chief patrol agent in El Centro and is expected to retire soon amid backlash over his social media posts.
- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker warned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with 'You’re next,' signaling more removals are likely.
- Trump softened his stance after talks with Minnesota leaders, agreeing to reduce federal agents and allow impartial investigations.
Gregory Bovino has reportedly been demoted from his role as ‘commander at large’
Image credits: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
A source told CNN that Bovino’s access to his social media accounts was suspended effective immediately after he spent the weekend smearing Pretti.
Bovino, responding to mounting concerns about Pretti’s slaying on social media, claimed that Pretti had attacked law enforcement, without providing any evidence.
He responded to several lawmakers and commentators, including Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gavin Newsom, and Stephen King.
“The ‘victim’ is the Border Patrol Agents,” he wrote in response to one post about Pretti being lawfully allowed to carry a firearm, as he had a permit.
Image credits: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
Commenting on another post that said Pretti was “clearly not a terrorist,” Bovino posted, “Pipe down with the lies.”
Bovino was propelled to the national spotlight about a year ago after he was promoted to commander at large.
He cultivated a highly visible and controversial public profile on social media, posting videos and updates of Border Patrol and ICE operations during major raids in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.
The posts, often framed with cinematic flair and aggressive messaging, drew widespread criticism for glorifying enforcement tactics and spreading misleading narratives.
Responding to the news of Bovino’s ousting on X, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker predicted that others in the Trump administration could soon find themselves suffering the same fate.
Tagging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Pritzker wrote, “You’re next.”
Pritzker’s claim does hold some weight, with sources confirming to The Atlantic that Noem and Corey Lewandowski, her close adviser, were also at risk of being ousted.
Those concerns appeared to be playing on Noem’s mind, with The New York Times reporting that she requested a meeting with Donald Trump on Monday evening.
Noem requested a meeting with Trump amid anti-ICE protests
Image credits: Al Drago/Getty Images
The meeting, held in the Oval Office, lasted two hours and was also attended by Lewandowski, but Trump did not suggest either of their jobs was at risk, according to the NYT.
It comes after Trump confirmed that he was sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota amid the unrest over ICE’s actions in the state.
The president also softened his tone after spending the weeks since the killing of Renee Nicole Good, 37, hitting out at local authorities.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A repeated target has been Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who gained significant media attention when he urged ICE to “get the f**k out” of the city.
In a Truth Social post, Trump signaled that his position had been somewhat walked back, writing, “Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”
In a separate post, Trump added, “I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis. Lots of progress is being made! Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion.”
Walz and Frey had productive calls with Trump
“I told him we need impartial investigations of the Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents, and that we need to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota,” Walz wrote.
“The President agreed to look into reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota and to talk to DHS about ensuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is able to conduct an independent investigation, as would ordinarily be the case.”
“The president agreed the present situation can’t continue,” Frey said. “Some federal agents will begin leaving the area tomorrow, and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go.”