Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/ROBERTO SCHMIDT
Topics: News, US News, Donald Trump
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: News, US News, Donald Trump
The Department of Homeland Security has addressed reports that Gregory Bovino has been fired following the shooting of Alex Pretti.
ICE and Border Patrol have faced a backlash for their conduct in cities across the US and attitudes towards them have continued to dampen following the shooting of two Americans.
At the start of the year, Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer while at a demonstration, and in the weekend just passed another civilian was shot and killed by Border Patrol, Alex Pretti.
This has seen more people call for more accountability as many critics have argued that both deaths were completely preventable.
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Following the shooting of Pretti, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino claimed that the agents did a good job and were the ones in danger, contradicting much of the rhetoric around the incident.
Reports have begun circulating suggesting that Bovino has since been fired and the 'border tsar' Tom Homan is set to come to the city and take control of the situation on the ground.
Assistant Secretary to the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, has dismissed the idea that Bovino has been fired.
In a post on X, she wrote: “Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties. As press secretary [Karoline Leavitt] stated from the White House podium, [Gregory Bovino] is a key part of the President’s team and a great American.”
CNN said three sources familiar with the situation told them that Bovino and some of his agents will leave Minneapolis today (January 27), but he will not lose his job.
They described it as a 'mutual decision' between Bovino and the White House, and that federal agents will remain in Minnesota.
Trump has previously indicated plans to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota.
Following the shooting, Trump told the Wall Street Journal: “At some point, we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done a phenomenal job. We’ll leave a different group of people there for the financial fraud.”
This is in relation to the ongoing investigations into alleged welfare fraud in the state.
Since this statement, he has also taken to Truth Social and said that progress was being made in Minneapolis.
He wrote: “I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis. Lots of progress is being made! Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion.”
Frey confirmed that some federal officers would be leaving the city following his conversation with Trump.
In a post on January 26, he wrote on X: “I spoke with President Trump today and appreciated the conversation. I expressed how much Minneapolis has benefited from our immigrant communities and was clear that my main ask is that Operation Metro Surge needs to end. The president agreed the present situation can’t continue.
“Some federal agents will begin leaving the area tomorrow, and I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go.”