Greg Bovino, the former U.S. Border Patrol chief who led a highly scrutinized deportation operation in Minneapolis earlier this year, told supporters the Biden administration’s withdrawal of agents from the city amounted to a “surrender.” Bovino, who was removed from his post after two people were fatally shot during the operation in January, defended the mission and questioned the decision to pull agents back, according to an interview published by the BBC.
Operation drew bipartisan outcry and civil suits
The January operation in Minneapolis resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and sparked widespread protests and bipartisan criticism of federal tactics. Good’s family has filed two civil lawsuits this month alleging wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with protesters’ civil rights. The legal filings name several officials, including Bovino and the agent who shot Good, and seek depositions of those accused.
“people do lawsuits all the time”
Bovino told the BBC he was “not responding” to one of the lawsuits naming him, and he sought to frame the episode as a law enforcement action that was misunderstood and prematurely curtailed. He praised agents involved in the operation and said he regretted “not going harder in Minnesota and arresting even more illegal aliens,” according to the interview. He also described the subsequent withdrawal of agents as the administration having “thrown the towel in.”
Officials, families and the White House react
Family attorneys criticized Bovino’s comments. They described his remarks as propaganda and said he should not serve as both a public defender of the operation and a witness in the pending litigation. The lawyers said they welcome depositions of Bovino and all defendants named in the suits.
A White House spokeswoman previously called the lawsuits “baseless,” the BBC reported. Bovino was removed from his role not long after the video of the shootings circulated and public backlash intensified.
- Fatalities: Two U.S. citizens were killed during the Minneapolis operation in January.
- Legal action: Two civil lawsuits filed by the family of one of the people killed allege wrongful death and civil-rights violations, and name several federal officials.
- Administration response: The White House has called the suits baseless; Bovino was removed from his post following the incident.
The lawsuits are pending, and the families’ attorneys indicated they intend to pursue depositions of officials involved in planning or overseeing the Minneapolis operation. Bovino’s public statements are part of a broader debate about federal immigration enforcement tactics, the use of law enforcement in crowd-control settings, and accountability when operations result in civilian deaths.
