EDITOR’S NOTE: Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino will be a part of NCS Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Sunday at 9 a.m. and 12 midday ET on NCS.
A 12 months in the past, few Americans knew Gregory Bovino’s identify. Now he’s the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
And all the pieces from the Border Patrol commander-at-large’s tactics in the field to his wardrobe decisions have develop into lightning rods in a storm for ever and ever.
On the streets of a number of American cities, Bovino – sporting a buzzcut and the Border Patrol’s olive inexperienced uniform – has been noticed main patrols, hurling tear gasoline canisters and verbally sparring with critics. He usually stands out amongst teams of federal officers as one of the few folks not carrying a masks.
On social media, he’s identified for sharing pictures and cinematic movies that tout Border Patrol brokers’ dedication to hold out their mission.
Meet the Border Patrol official in cost of Trump’s Chicago crackdown
And now, on America’s airwaves, his presence at the podium can be turning into extra frequent. As authorities intensify their crackdown in Minneapolis, Bovino has been amongst the officers giving each day briefings summing up the day’s occasions.
In interviews, court docket testimony and social media posts, Bovino has repeatedly defended federal officers’ actions and vowed to not again down.
Hours after a Border Patrol officer shot and killed a person in Minneapolis Saturday, Bovino stated the man had a gun, and that the officer feared for his life and fired “defensive shots.”
“An individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino stated, including that federal officers are going through rising threats.
“The fact of the matter is that the law does not enforce itself,” Bovino stated. “It takes men and women who are willing to risk their lives to enforce it. The men and women of CBP and ICE are highly trained professionals who love this country and do this work because they want to leave their kids and their grandkids a country that’s safe and secure.”
But when Bovino describes his officers’ operations, he usually takes a extra aggressive tone.
In a number of social media posts and interviews, Bovino has repeatedly used a phrase to explain their techniques.
“He calls them ‘turn and burn,’” NCS contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro says. “They’re very rapid. They’re very aggressive. Break windows, go in, grab people. And the reason he says that he does these tactics is to not put …agents at risk, not to allow protests to develop.”
Supporters of the administration’s aggressive mass deportation push see Bovino as a hero. But the forceful, unapologetic strategy that’s fueled his latest rise to prominence has additionally drawn fierce criticism from native leaders and protesters in cities his group is focusing on.
Officials in a number of cities have described Bovino as main a legislation enforcement company which deploys tactics which can be frighteningly authoritarian and utilized by the president as a cudgel towards Democrat-led communities and the folks — residents and noncitizens alike — who stay in them.
“They want mayhem on the ground,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told NCS in October, accusing Bovino and different federal officers of intentionally inflaming tensions. “They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops.”
Heavy-handed tactics, together with immigration sweeps in parking tons and smashing automotive home windows, have fueled alarm, together with amongst some in the Trump administration, whereas additionally garnering reward from senior Homeland Security officers.
Asked about the aggressive strategy that has spurred rising criticism and protests, Bovino has defended his officers.
“You know, folks are free to criticize. They’re free to armchair quarterback. When they don’t walk a mile in the shoes of law enforcement, then they might want to think a second before full-blown criticism. I’ve heard a lot of that,” he told NCS in October. “Our officers act legally, ethically and morally in all law enforcement actions.”
Bovino’s presence in different cities throughout the nation in latest months has develop into an unofficial barometer of how intense immigration enforcement is anticipated to get.
These days, Bovino is a frequent sight on the streets of Minneapolis – bringing what he calls the “Mean Green Team” hundreds of miles from the sector alongside the US-Mexico border the place he was stationed earlier than.
“The #MeanGreen is patrolling Minneapolis through the cold, through the snow, and through it all arresting illegal aliens until the mission is accomplished,” Bovino posted Friday on X. “We’re here and we’re making the city safe.”
Originally from North Carolina, Bovino joined the Border Patrol in 1996. His 30-year profession has taken him from Washington to New Orleans in addition to overseas postings in Honduras and Africa. In 2020 he was named Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector of Southern California.
In 2023, Bovino was briefly relieved of command from his place in what House Republicans described as a retaliatory measure after he testified critically about situations alongside the border beneath President Joe Biden’s administration. The Associated Press reported different components had been additionally at play – together with his social-media presence and a web based profile image of him posing with an assault rifle.
He started drawing public consideration final summer season, when he helped orchestrate the arrests of greater than 5,000 immigrants in a Los Angeles operation. Since then, Bovino – who’s in his mid-fifties – has led sweeps in Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and, now, Minneapolis.
Bovino’s conduct throughout the Chicago operation drew stern rebukes from a federal choose, who dominated that his descriptions of events weren’t supported by video evidence.
In one video, cited in a federal court docket case alleging extreme pressure towards protesters in Chicago, the choose dominated that Bovino “obviously tackles” a protester on digicam. But in his deposition, Bovino denied he tackled the man. “I’m imploring (him)…to comply with leaving the area to comply with instructions,” Bovino stated, including, “the use of force was against me.”
Lately, one other side of Bovino’s picture can be drawing consideration: the lengthy inexperienced trench coach he generally wears.
“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,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom stated not too long ago, drawing a comparability to Nazi uniforms.
Bovino says he’s had the jacket for greater than 25 years, and bought it from the Border Patrol.
“I bought that as a young agent, approximately 1999,” he told News Nation, noting that he was additionally photographed carrying it for a ceremony throughout the Biden administration.
That interview, Bovino wrote on social media, “cleared up any misconceptions and highlighted the double standard phenomenon.”
Whatever occurs subsequent, there’s little doubt we’ll be seeing extra of Bovino – and his coat – on America’s streets.
Slickly produced movies and different social media posts from Bovino’s accounts have additionally drawn criticism. He says the posts are geared toward rising transparency.
“This is not agenda-driven. Our social media is designed to give the public … a real-time snapshot of what is really happening,” Bovino told NCS in October.
Among his latest posts, Bovino shared a video clip of his response throughout a press briefing to a reporter who requested when the surge of federal legislation enforcement into Minneapolis will finish.
“Is there a certain number of people you want to apprehend before you decide to ease the surge?” the reporter requested.
“There is a number,” Bovino stated, “and it’s called all of them.”