Greg Bovino Details Minnesota Withdrawal and 2028 Ambitions

Greg Bovino is calling the withdrawal of federal agents from Minneapolis a surrender.

The former US border patrol chief spoke to the BBC in Detroit on October 24. He was campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement at the time. Bovino said the Trump administration threw the towel in after the departures. He claimed deportations are now at a virtual standstill.

Bovino served as the public face of the Minneapolis deportation drive. He was removed from his role shortly after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot dead in January. Both shootings were captured on video. The incidents sparked bipartisan backlash and widespread protests. President Donald Trump announced he was going to de-escalate a little bit. The White House then pulled hundreds of immigration agents out of the city. Approximately 700 agents left the state. Tom Homan, the White House border tsar, took over the operation.

Bovino said he regretted not going harder in Minnesota. He expressed a desire to arrest more illegal aliens. He described his agents as the real victims of the mission. He called it the most violence any law enforcement mission had faced in US history. When asked about video evidence regarding the intent of Good and Pretti, Bovino disagreed that it undermined his claims. He stated that the evidence showed violence was perpetrated against agents. He noted that people need to follow the law or face consequences.

The family of Renee Good filed two civil lawsuits against the administration earlier this month. They alleged wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights. One lawsuit names Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good. It cites their respective individual roles in the operation. The suit argues the operation created an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence. A White House spokeswoman previously called the lawsuits baseless. Bovino said he was not responding to the legal action. He said people do lawsuits all the time.

The family's lawyers responded to Bovino's comments by calling him spewing propaganda. They said he could not be judge, jury and executioner. Their legal team said it looks forward to the depositions of Bovino and all other defendants.

Bovino said he would have to ask the administration why he was removed. He noted he has not gotten the final word on the matter. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary during the operation, was fired by Trump in March. Bovino has since retired from the border patrol.

The former chief 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 said Trump delivered the largest reduction in illegal immigration in modern history. More than 3 million illegal aliens have left the country because of his policies. Bovino floated exploring a presidential run in 2028. He said if politicians are not going to step up and do their job, you might see something happen. He recently addressed a far-right rally in Michigan. Activists there are calling for the deportation of Abdul El-Sayed, a US-born citizen and Democratic Senate candidate. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim US senator if he beats Republican Mike Rogers.