In brief
Former US border patrol chief Greg Bovino has accused the Trump administration of surrendering Minneapolis by pulling 700 agents after the January shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He refuses to answer a lawsuit filed by Good’s family, dismissing it as a common legal tactic. Bovino, who was removed from his post a month after the killings, says the operation created “the most violence any law‑enforcement mission has ever faced.” His comments spark backlash from lawyers, a White House spokesman and activists who see the controversy as evidence of policy failure. Meanwhile Bovino continues to raise hard‑line immigration rhetoric and hints at a future presidential run.
Greg Bovino, the former US border patrol chief, blasted the Trump administration for pulling 700 agents from Minneapolis after the January killings of two U.S. citizens, calling the move a surrender. He dismissed a lawsuit from good’s family as merely a legal tactic, praised the officers for their actions, and framed his comments as a defensive stance against what he sees as political pressure.
The shootings of 26‑year‑old Renee Good and 22‑year‑old Alex Pretti, captured on video, sparked bipartisan uproar and protests across the city. President Trump later announced a “de‑escalation” of the operation, withdrawing the agents and effectively ending the active raid.
Bovino said he was being “just as hard” as he can in border enforcement and regretted “not going harder in Minnesota.” He describes his Minneapolis agents as the “real victims” of violent opposition and claims the operation set a “historical” level of violence for law‑enforcement missions in the U.S.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, names Bovino and other top officials, such as former Agent Jonathan Ross, for their role in the operation. Lawyers for Good’s family claim the operation created an “unprecedented environment for state‑sponsored violence,” while the White House called the claims “baseless.”
Bovino, who has since retired and promoted hard‑line rhetoric about deporting an alleged 100 million illegal aliens, also floated a possible presidential bid in 2028. He recently addressed a far‑right rally in Michigan calling for the deportation of Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed, a U.S. citizen, and first Muslim senator if elected.
White House spokespersons claim Trump’s policies halted the “invasion” and that over 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. as a result. In contrast, critics point to the violence and legal fallout in Minneapolis as warnings of the consequences of hard‑line enforcement.
