As you all know, President Trump put Border Czar Tom Homan in charge of Minnesota’s ICE operations today and it was also reported that some Border Patrol officers under Chief Greg Bovino would be leaving the state tomorrow.
It’s now being reported that Bovino is being transferred back to his previous position in El Centro, California and is expected to retire soon.
Via AZ_Intel and The Atlantic:
JUST IN: Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol “commander at large” and will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the change. – The Atlantic pic.twitter.com/r1a5zeFj0L
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) January 26, 2026
I saw other reports claiming Bovino had been relieved of duty or some nonsense, and it just sounded too hyperbolic to believe. In fact, he hasn’t been relieved of duty at all.
That’s not to say that Trump was totally happy with Bovino’s job in Minneapolis, but we don’t really know. Trump made a change of the guard and he’s since had conversations with both the corrupt governor and mayor in the state, and appears to be doing his damnedest to try and get state officials to work with ICE agents and not against them. This move of Bovino and his officers out of the state could have had something to do with those conversations and nothing about Bovino’s performance. Again, we just don’t know, and I’m not going to assume the worst or get apoplectic about Trump moving Bovino back to California.
UPDATE: DHS says ‘relieved of duty’ report is completely false, and they give him a vote of confidence as well:
Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties. As @PressSec stated from the White House podium, @CMDROpAtLargeCA is a key part of the President’s team and a great American. https://t.co/qj3E9B8uzg
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 27, 2026
I knew the ‘relieved of duty’ was bs. Glad I didn’t run with that. Still not sure about the ‘transferred’ or ‘retired’ report, but take that for what you want.