U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who recently made headlines after controversial comments following federal agent-involved shootings, is set to retire at the end of March 2026.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed his decision to CBS News on Monday. His retirement would mark the departure of the second top official amid the ongoing immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump.
Previously, Trump replaced Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem following her controversial back-to-back Senate hearings.
Bovino previously led federal immigration enforcement operations in several cities, since the first deployment of federal agents to Los Angeles last year.
Over the past year, Bovino and his agents have been deployed to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and then Minneapolis. Although the operations drew criticism in several cities, they sparked the strongest reaction in Minneapolis.
Two American citizens were killed in Minneapolis in separate shootings involving federal agents. Renee Nicole Good was first shot in her car. Then a nurse named Alex Pretti was killed in another incident.
Bovino faced widespread backlash after claiming that Pretti wanted to “massacre” federal agents, a statement that lacked evidence.
He was later replaced by Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, to lead immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
Bovino returned to El Centro, California, where he previously served as Chief Patrol Agent for that sector.
