Former Border Chief: 700 Agents Left Minneapolis in Surrender

Approximately 700 immigration agents left Minnesota after the Trump administration decided to reduce its presence in Minneapolis. Greg Bovino, the former US Border Patrol chief who led the initial deportation drive, described this withdrawal as a surrender by the current administration.

Bovino made these remarks in an interview with the BBC while campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement in Detroit. He stated that the administration threw the towel in and that deportations are now at a virtual standstill. He expressed regret that he did not arrest more people in Minnesota, calling his agents the real victims of the most violent law enforcement mission in US history.

The operational shift began in January after two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed. Both incidents were captured on video and sparked bipartisan backlash and widespread protests. President Donald Trump initially said he was going to de-escalate the situation slightly. He subsequently pulled hundreds of agents out of the city, and the White House border tsar Tom Homan took over the operation.

Bovino was removed from his role shortly after the January shootings. He said he has not received the final word on why he was dismissed. Kristi Noem, who served as Homeland Security secretary during the operation, was fired by Trump in March. Bovino has since retired from the border patrol but remains active in political advocacy.

The family of Renee Good filed two civil lawsuits against the administration earlier this month. The suits allege wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of protesters. One lawsuit names senior officials, including Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, for their individual roles in the operation. The legal team argues the operation created an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence.

Bovino said he was not responding to the lawsuit and noted that people do lawsuits all the time. Lawyers for the Good family responded that Bovino was spewing propaganda and could not serve as judge, jury, and executioner. They added that they look forward to deposing Bovino and all other defendants in the matter.

When asked by the BBC if video evidence undermined his claim that the victims meant to harm agents, Bovino disagreed. He stated that violence was perpetrated against agents of the US government and that society of laws requires people to follow the law or face consequences. Trump initially described Good as violently running over an ICE officer but later called her death a tragedy, noting that agents sometimes make mistakes.

Bovino has called for total spectrum immigration enforcement backed by the military. He claimed without evidence that 100 million people are in the US illegally. A White House spokesperson countered that Trump has delivered the largest reduction in illegal immigration in modern history, with more than 3 million illegal aliens leaving the country due to his policies. Bovino also said he is exploring a presidential run in 2028, suggesting that if politicians do not step up, something might happen.