Who is under-fire Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino?
Border Force commander dubbed Napoleon is sent back to former post after Alex Pretti death
Gregory Bovino has been stripped of his “commander at large” title and sent back to his old post after the unrest in Minnesota.
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The border patrol commander came under fire after Alex Pretti was shot dead in Minneapolis by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents he was protesting against.
Bovino has been re-stationed at the US-Mexico border as part of the fallout, which has seen Border Tsar Tom Homan dispatched to the city to help reduce tensions.
Homeland chief Kristi Noem is also said to be fighting to hang onto her job, with Mr Pretti’s death being the second time a protester has been killed this month, following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
Mr Pretti was shot dead while unarmed, with officers having taken his gun away from him.
Bovino’s departure signifies a change of strategy from the White House regarding anti-ICE protesters, with Donald Trump appearing to respond to public feeling, stating, "I don't like any shooting. I don't like it.”
Ms Noem had previously said that Mr Pretti had been shot in “self-defence,” while Bovino had defended his agents, stating: “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Read also: Fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti could have been 'caused by agent misfiring victim’s gun'
Who is Gregory Bovino?
Gregory Bovino has been dubbed Napoleon, given his stature, but his army links extend to his sense of dress - with the 55-year-old usually seen wearing a military-style coat.
He joined the United States Border Patrol in 1996 and gradually worked his way up to become chief of the sectors in New Orleans and El Centro, California, one of the 20 US regional chiefs.
According to AP, Bovino has been subject to accusations of racial profiling and faced two court orders around these, although these were appealed by the Trump administration.
Although he has continued to face criticism over excessive use of force, he has called his actions appropriate and legitimate.
Bovino was sacked in 2023, blaming his removal on transgressions that included his sharing photos on social media of himself posing with an M4 rifle and congressional testimony during a migrant search.
After this, he was offered retirement, but refused, and by 2025, he was back. Bovino was re-hired by the second Trump administration to lead enforcement operations in Los Angeles during an anti-immigration blitz.
He was then dispatched to head up an even larger operation in Minnesota and, as commander at large, had been considered the face of operations in the state before his removal from the post.