Former Border Chief Labels Minneapolis Exit a Surrender

Greg Bovino has called the recent federal retreat from Minneapolis a surrender.

The former US border patrol chief made the comments in an interview with the BBC. He described the withdrawal of agents as an admission of defeat. Bovino said the administration threw the towel in. He claimed deportations are now at a virtual standstill. He expressed regret for not going harder in Minnesota. He wanted to arrest more people he described as illegal aliens.

Bovino defended the officers sent to the city. He called them the real victims. He stated that his agents faced the most violence in US law enforcement history. He disputed the video evidence of the shootings. He said violence was perpetrated against government agents. He argued that society is one of laws and people must follow them. He noted that consequences exist if laws are broken. This stance contrasts with President Trump’s earlier comments. Trump initially said a woman ran over an officer. Later, he called the death a tragedy and admitted agents make mistakes.

The former chief was removed from his role in January. This happened shortly after two US citizens died. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot dead. Both incidents were captured on video. The deaths sparked a bipartisan backlash. Widespread protests followed in the streets. President Trump then said he would de-escalate the situation. He pulled hundreds of immigration agents out of the city. About 700 agents left the state. Tom Homan, the White House border tsar, took over the operation. Bovino is now 56 years old and has retired from the border patrol. He said he has not received a final explanation for his removal.

The family of Renee Good filed two civil lawsuits this month. They are suing the administration for wrongful death. They also allege a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights. One lawsuit names Bovino and Jonathan Ross. Ross is the agent who shot Good. The suit claims the operation created an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence. It cites their respective individual roles in the events. The White House has called the lawsuits baseless. Bovino said he was not responding to the legal action. He noted that people do lawsuits all the time. He appeared to wave away the claims.

The family’s lawyers reacted strongly to Bovino’s comments. They said he was spewing propaganda. They argued he could not be judge, jury, and executioner. The legal team said they look forward to depositions. They plan to question Bovino and all other defendants in the matter. Bovino is currently campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement. He spoke in Detroit about his views. He called for total spectrum immigration enforcement backed by the military. He claimed 100 million people are in the US illegally. He did not provide evidence for that number. A White House spokesperson said Trump delivered the largest reduction in illegal immigration in modern history. They stated more than 3 million illegal aliens had left the country.

Bovino has also floated a potential presidential run in 2028. He said politicians need to step up and do their job. He hinted that something might happen if they do not. He recently addressed a far-right rally in Michigan. Activists at the event called for the deportation of Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed is a US-born citizen and a Democratic Senate candidate. He would be the first Muslim US senator if he beats Republican Mike Rogers.