Bovino: 700 Agents Left Minnesota in Surrender

Greg Bovino, the former head of U.S. border patrol, told the BBC that the withdrawal of federal agents from Minneapolis was a surrender. He made the comments while speaking in Detroit, where he is campaigning for stricter immigration enforcement.

Approximately 700 immigration agents departed Minnesota following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January. Both incidents were captured on video and triggered protests across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump stated he was going to de-escalate the situation and ordered the pullout. Tom Homan, the White House border tsar, assumed control of the operation after the agents left.

Bovino, who is 56 years old, was removed from his position shortly after the killings. He described the administration's decision to leave as throwing in the towel. He said deportations have reached a virtual standstill and expressed regret that he did not arrest more people in Minnesota. He called his agents the real victims of the most violent law enforcement mission in U.S. history.

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. They name Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, for their individual roles. The family argues the operation created an environment for state-sponsored violence. A White House spokeswoman previously dismissed the claims as baseless.

Responding to Bovino's interview, the family's lawyers said he was spewing propaganda. They argued he could not serve as judge, jury, and executioner. The legal team said it looks forward to deposing Bovino and all defendants in the case.

Bovino disputed the idea that video evidence undermined his claim that Good and Pretti meant to harm agents. He stated that violence was perpetrated against U.S. government agents and that people must follow the law or face consequences. Trump initially described Good as having run over an ICE officer violently and willfully. Weeks later, he called her death a tragedy and acknowledged that agents sometimes make mistakes.

Asked why he was removed, Bovino said he had not received a final explanation from the administration. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary during the operation, was fired by Trump in March. Bovino has since retired from the border patrol. He has claimed 100 million people are in the U.S. illegally, a figure for which he provided no evidence.

Bovino has floated the possibility of running for president in 2028. He said that if politicians do not step up, something might happen. He recently spoke at a far-right rally in Michigan where activists called for the deportation of Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate and U.S.-born citizen.