Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who recently became a prominent figure in former President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement initiatives, has been reassigned and denied access to his official social media platforms. According to a report by the Atlantic, Bovino will return to his previous role in El Centro, California, where he is anticipated to soon retire, as disclosed by a Homeland Security official and two individuals familiar with the situation. His removal from social media was ordered by Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott, a fact confirmed by Homeland Security sources to the Daily Mail. This development follows Bovino’s weekend defense of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, on a street in Minneapolis. In response to various comments on social media that painted Pretti in a sympathetic light, Bovino repeatedly tweeted, urging people not to assault federal officers. To one user who claimed Pretti was unarmed, Bovino retorted that the “SUSPECT confronted and assaulted officers and was armed while doing so.”

Bovino also engaged in contentious exchanges with politicians, including Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who argued that carrying a firearm is a constitutionally protected right and should not warrant a death sentence. Bovino countered by asserting that attacking law enforcement is not a right. He also clashed with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico from Texas, both of whom advocated for independent investigations into the shooting, as well as with writer Stephen King. Demonstrators organized a protest labeled “goodbye Gregory Bovino,” creating noise with drums and wooden objects outside the hotel where Bovino was reportedly staying. These protestors faced federal agents equipped with gas masks, who dispersed irritants to control the crowd. After posting over 40 tweets addressing reactions to the Pretti shooting over the weekend, Bovino’s social media presence has been inactive for the past 11 hours. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, clarified that Bovino has not been dismissed and continues to play a significant role in the president’s team.

This reassignment is reportedly part of a broader restructuring initiated by the Trump administration at the behest of Border Czar Tom Homan. Both Bovino, who has been nicknamed “little Napoleon,” and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have been moved aside as Homan heads to Minneapolis. Before his promotion during Trump’s second term, Bovino was the Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector of the Border Patrol in Southern California. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed that a meeting arranged by President Trump is set to occur between Homan and local officials upon Homan’s arrival. The Daily Mail has sought comments from Customs and Border Patrol. This decision aims to reduce the tension between federal agents and protestors following the unrest sparked by Pretti’s death.

Bovino, the controversial face of Trump’s crackdown and a close ally of Noem, sparked fury in the White House when he claimed Pretti intended to ‘massacre’ federal agents. Trump spent hours on Sunday and Monday watching cable news coverage and was unsettled by how the administration was being portrayed, one official told CNN. Noem branded the ICU nurse a ‘domestic terrorist’ and claimed he brandished a firearm, sparking further frustration among administration officials. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Noem’s language on Monday, arguing that it was not a position that the President had taken. Bovino is a loyalist to Noem and her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski, and both have quietly pushed him as a potential replacement for current Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, a longtime ally of Homan. Noem has sought to sideline Scott by having Bovino report directly to her, an unprecedented move within the agency. Bovino’s removal from Minneapolis underscores Noem’s fading standing with the White House as Trump dispatches Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground.

A Border Patrol veteran of 30 years, Bovino was selected last year from his role as chief patrol agent of the agency’s El Centro sector in Southern California to lead highly publicized immigration crackdowns across the country. His aggressive tactics, often highly choreographed public displays, sparked backlash from local officials. Bovino often stood out as the only agent not wearing a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations. He has gone viral on social media as he is frequently spotted on the frontlines sporting a severe buzzcut and trench coat, which German media has likened to a ‘Nazi aesthetic’. California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X: ‘Greg Bovino dressed up as if he literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb. Greg Bovino, secret police, private army, masked men, people disappearing quite literally, no due process.’ Bovino hit back, claiming he had the coat for more than 25 years and it was official Border Patrol merchandise. Jenn Budd, an author and expert on Border Patrol, described Bovino as ‘the Liberace’ of the agency.

‘He was just a little Napoleon who wants you to think that he is the most moral and capable guy in the world, and everything around you is dangerous but he’s the one who’s going to save you,’ Budd told The Times. ‘It’s all a show for him.’ He once invited journalists to watch him swim across a canal in Southern California’s Imperial Valley in a bid to deter migrants considering the crossing. After Trump was re-elected Bovino used similar public relations expertise to catch the president’s eye. He sent dozens of agents to arrest migrants at gas stations along the highway ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Asked why Bovino was chosen to lead the force, McLaughlin told reporters bluntly: ‘ Because he’s a badass.’ But while Bovino’s strongman image earned him Trump’s respect, his self-proclaimed ‘turn and burn’ enforcement strategies have sparked concern. A federal judge accused Bovino in November of being ‘evasive’ and at times ‘outright lying’ in sworn testimony about an immigration crackdown in Chicago, finding his account ‘simply not credible.’ Judge Sara Ellis wrote that Bovino even admitted he lied about being hit with a rock before ordering tear gas used, and noted that video evidence flatly contradicted his claim that he never tackled a protester.