Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, most widely recognized for leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, will retire at the end of the month, CBS News reported, citing two sources directly familiar with his decision.
Bovino, 55, has played a highly visible role in enforcing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda and defending the heavy-handed tactics used to subdue protesters.
NBC News also reported Bovino’s departure, citing two Customs and Border Protection officials.
When MS NOW asked a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson about the reports, the spokesperson said, “Chief Bovino has not submitted any retirement paperwork.”
That closely resembles a post Bovino wrote on his X account Monday afternoon, in which he responded to a reporter from the Washington Examiner, a conservative publication, who said she confirmed Bovino planned to retire.
“This is false. As of this writing, no ‘paperwork’ has been submitted,” replied Bovino, a prolific X user. “Check your facts and sources before reporting inaccurate information.”
He directed the reporter to a flattering Breitbart article that reports Bovino is, indeed, leaving the agency.
Over the past year, Bovino oversaw federal operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Minneapolis.
In Los Angeles, he defended federal agents disrupting a children’s summer camp. In Chicago, he was caught on camera personally throwing a can of tear gas at civilians and was accused by a federal judge of “outright lying” about his actions in the government’s enforcement operations in that city.
Court records also showed Bovino personally praised a Border Patrol agent accused of shooting a U.S. citizen five times in Chicago in October and offered to extend the agent’s retirement age.
In January, Bovino was pulled from Minneapolis following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Bovino defended both killings, even saying “hats off” to the agent who killed Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. In Pretti’s killing, Bovino alleged the federal agents involved were, in fact, the “victims.”
Border czar Tom Homan took Bovino’s place overseeing operations in Minneapolis.
Laura Barrón-López contributed reporting.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.