Greg Bovino has been removed from his position as a “wide-area commander” in the U.S. Border Patrol and will return to his previous job in California, where he is expected to retire soon, The Atlantic reported on Monday, citing a Department of Homeland Security official and two people familiar with the change.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision followed Bovino’s defense over the weekend of a fatal shooting in which 37-year-old intensive care medical technician Alex Preti was killed on a street in Minneapolis.
He repeatedly tweeted the message “do not attack federal officers” in response to random users on the X network who were sharing biographical information about Preti, portraying him in a positive light.
In response to a claim by one account that Preti “never at any point pulled a gun,” Bovino said that the “SUSPECT confronted and attacked officers and was armed during the encounter.”
He also clashed with lawmakers, including Republican Thomas Massie, who wrote that “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it is a constitutionally protected, God-given right, and if you do not understand that, you have no business in law enforcement or government.”
Bovino replied to the Kentucky congressman: “Attacking law enforcement is not a right, no matter how much you want it to be.”
The commander also pushed back against Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Senate candidate from Texas James Talarico, who called for an independent investigation into the shooting, as well as writer Stephen King.
Earlier on Monday, President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz struck a conciliatory tone after a private phone call about the enforcement of immigration laws, a sign that both sides are seeking a way to end the conflict over an ICE deportation operation in which two United States citizens lost their lives in Minneapolis.
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Source: N1; Foto: REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein



