Border Patrol Commander's Controversial Remarks Surface Amid Minneapolis Fallout
The senior Border Patrol official recently withdrawn from Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two protesters has been captured on camera delivering inflammatory instructions to agents during an operation last year. Gregory Bovino, 55, was removed from his position overseeing operations in the Twin Cities this week after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both occurring during confrontations with immigration enforcement agents this month.
Blunt Speaking Style Draws Criticism
Bovino had already become a focal point for protests against large-scale immigration crackdowns due to his unvarnished communication approach and preference for military-style greatcoats, which critics have compared to historical authoritarian uniforms. Now, newly surfaced bodycam footage from June reveals Bovino giving what appears to be a characteristically direct pep talk to Border Patrol agents deployed to Los Angeles.
In the thirty-second clip, Bovino is heard telling agents they should arrest as many individuals as they wish if those people make physical contact with them. "Those are the general orders all the way to the top," Bovino states in the recording. "Everybody gets it if they touch you, you hear what I'm saying?"
Mixed Messages on Professional Conduct
Despite these aggressive instructions, the commander also reminded his staff about maintaining professional standards during operations. Bovino, whose regular position involves running Border Patrol's El Centro sector in California, emphasized that agents must behave in what he described as a "professional, legal, ethical, and moral" manner. He specifically noted that agents were being recorded during these interactions.
However, Bovino simultaneously outlined plans to flood urban areas with what he termed "less lethal" weaponry, typically referring to rubber bullets and beanbag rounds frequently deployed during protest situations. "Less lethals, we're going to look at shipping tractor-trailer loads of that in here," Bovino told the assembled agents. "It's all about us now, it ain't about them."
"This Is Our City" Mentality
When questioned by an agent about whose jurisdiction they were operating within, Bovino responded emphatically: "It's ours. This is our city." This territorial declaration has raised concerns among civil liberties advocates about the appropriate boundaries of federal immigration enforcement in urban settings.
Minneapolis Controversy and Removal
Bovino's handling of operations in Minneapolis has attracted significant criticism throughout the past month. His response to the death of Renee Good, a mother of one, particularly stunned observers when he told a news outlet: "Hats off to that ICE agent." Following the shooting of Alex Pretti, a thirty-seven-year-old intensive care nurse, Bovino defended the involved officers by claiming Pretti had "violently resisted" and describing the shots fired at the prone man as "defensive."
These incidents, combined with mounting political pressure from across the spectrum, ultimately led to Bovino's withdrawal from Minneapolis on Monday. He has been replaced by Tom Homan, President Trump's border czar, though the Department of Homeland Security maintains Bovino has not been relieved of his national duties.
Continued Backlash and Protests
Despite his removal from the Minneapolis operation, backlash has continued to grow. In a video message shared from Mount Rushmore, approximately six hundred miles west of Minneapolis, Bovino expressed pride in what he called the "Mean Green Machine's" work and celebrated what he termed "turn and burn" tactics during the current administration's second term.
This strategy involves flooding cities with federal agents to conduct mass arrests before quickly departing, an approach that has frequently resulted in violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters during large-scale ICE operations overseen by Bovino in multiple American cities.
Local Reactions in California
Protests have now reached Bovino's home territory in California, where demonstrators gathered outside Border Patrol headquarters in El Centro. Maribel Radilla, one of three protesters braving the heat, carried a sign reading "Deport Bovino, keep the migrants," while others displayed messages accusing the commander of dishonesty and disgrace.
Radilla clarified to reporters that their protest was not against Border Patrol personnel generally but specifically against what they perceive as problematic operational methods. "We support and understand the need for Border Patrol," she explained, "but it's the way ICE agents are operating that's the problem. This is a conservative area but we need and want migrants."
Meanwhile, Bovino's five-bedroom home in the border city remains under protection by four Border Patrol vehicles, a security measure that has been in place for months since his profile increased following the June ICE raids in Los Angeles that sparked significant civil unrest. Staff at the El Centro Sector headquarters confirmed Bovino was not present in the building and was not expected to return imminently.
