• Greg Bovino returning to El Centro sector chief position after temporary commander role
• Move follows backlash over “massacre” claims about Alex Pretti shooting
• White House deploying Tom Homan to replace Bovino in Minneapolis leadership

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Customs and Border Protection commander-at-large Greg Bovino is returning to El Centro, California, to resume his duties as chief of that sector, multiple sources told ABC News, ending his controversial tenure leading Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

The position of commander-at-large was a temporary position created during the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations. Bovino had emerged as the public face of the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement activities in Minneapolis, drawing intense criticism for his response to two fatal shootings by federal agents.

DHS Insists Bovino Not Relieved

Despite multiple reports characterizing the move as a demotion or removal, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin insisted Bovino “has NOT been relieved of his duties.”

“Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties,” McLaughlin said in a statement Monday, referring to him as a “key part of the President’s team and a great American.”

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However, officials confirmed to NBC News that Bovino is losing his “commander” title and will return to his previous job as Border Patrol sector chief in El Centro. He will no longer oversee Border Patrol agents making immigration arrests in interior U.S. cities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Bovino during Monday’s briefing.

“Mr. Bovino is a wonderful man, and he’s a great professional. He is going to very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol throughout and across the country,” Leavitt said.

Controversy Over Alex Pretti Shooting

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The move comes following intense backlash over how Bovino and other federal officials responded to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Pretti was killed by a Border Patrol agent Saturday, making him the second U.S. citizen killed by federal forces in Minneapolis in January.

Bovino claimed during news conferences that Pretti intended to inflict “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” despite video evidence contradicting this narrative.

“The victims are the Border Patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation,” Bovino told CNN Sunday.

Video analysis by multiple news organizations showed Pretti holding a cellphone, not a gun, when agents approached. Footage appears to show an agent removing a gun from Pretti’s waistband roughly one second before another agent opened fire.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry and had no criminal record.

Tom Homan Taking Over Minnesota Operations

President Donald Trump announced Monday he is dispatching border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over immigration enforcement operations, bypassing the normal chain of command through DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

“He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Noem and Chief Advisor Corey Lewandowski met with Trump for almost two hours Monday, according to the New York Times, as the administration worked to manage the political fallout from the shootings.

The administration official and a law enforcement official told NBC News that Customs and Border Protection also plans to reduce the number of agents in Minneapolis this week, though the size of the reduction remains under discussion.

Second Fatal Shooting In Three Weeks

Pretti’s death marked the third shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in three weeks. On January 7, a federal agent fatally shot Renee Good, sparking protests that drew thousands. The following week, a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by an immigration officer and survived.

Minneapolis Police Chief O’Hara noted the city has had only three homicides in 2026, two committed by federal agents.

“The Minneapolis Police Department went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds and hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn’t shoot anyone,” O’Hara said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Bovino’s Controversial Public Profile

Bovino had emerged as a highly visible and controversial figure during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. He appeared at operations in Charlotte, North Carolina; New Orleans; and Minneapolis, often adopting a confrontational public stance.

When questioned about Pretti’s Second Amendment rights, Bovino stated during a press conference: “What I’m saying is we respect that Second Amendment right. But those rights don’t count when you riot and assault, delay, obstruct and impede law enforcement officers.”

This comment drew sharp criticism from gun rights advocates and Republicans who noted that lawfully carrying a firearm is a constitutional right that doesn’t depend on whether someone is protesting.

Bovino also faced scrutiny for photographs showing him wearing a green greatcoat during operations, which elicited comments from German media that the coat evoked a “Nazi aesthetic.” California Governor Gavin Newsom used the imagery to rebut claims that allegations of fascism within the Trump administration were hyperbolic.

Trump Seeks Cooperation With Minnesota

In what appeared to be a thaw in relations, Trump said Monday he had a “very good call” with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and that the two “seemed to be on a similar wavelength.”

“Lots of progress is being made!” Trump wrote on social media after also speaking with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Walz described the call as “productive” but maintained his demand for the operation to end.

“The president must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” Walz wrote on social media.

Will Bovino’s return to El Centro and Homan’s deployment de-escalate tensions in Minneapolis, or has the damage from two fatal shootings made reconciliation impossible?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from ABC News coverage of Bovino’s return, NBC News reporting on the leadership change, KYMA’s coverage of the El Centro position, CBS News reporting on the Minneapolis situation, FactCheck.org’s video analysis, Euronews coverage of the leadership transition, NPR’s reporting on the protests, and Wikipedia’s entry on Gregory Bovino.

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