MINNESOTA – U.S. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and a group of agents are expected to leave Minneapolis soon and return to their home sectors, according to the New York Times. The shift signals a change in how the Trump administration is handling its hard-line immigration push in Minnesota.
The expected exit comes after weeks of anger over deadly confrontations involving federal officers, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. It also follows President Donald Trump’s choice to send White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to take direct control of operations there.
Greg Bovino is expected to return to California’s El Centro sector, where he previously served as chief patrol agent before being assigned to high-profile deployments across the country.
People familiar with the planning said Bovino could begin leaving as early as Tuesday. An unknown number of Border Patrol agents would go with him.
Not every agent assigned under Operation Metro Surge is expected to leave. The operation has brought more than 3,000 federal personnel into Minnesota. Still, the partial withdrawal is being read as a step toward calming a situation that has rattled Minneapolis since early January.
Greg Bovino’s national role and the Minneapolis spotlight
Greg Bovino, a nearly 30-year Border Patrol veteran, became a visible figure during the second Trump presidency. He often served as the face of large immigration raids in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, and New Orleans. Those deployments regularly drew lawsuits, street protests, and claims of excessive force.
In Minneapolis, Greg Bovino led daily press briefings and defended agent actions after a Saturday shooting that killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Authorities said Pretti was armed and recording federal officers when he was shot. Bovino said, without publicly shared evidence, that Pretti planned to “massacre” agents. Witness accounts and video footage challenged that claim.
The Pretti killing followed the January 7 death of Renée Good, who was shot by an ICE agent during clashes near Roosevelt High School grounds. The two incidents intensified protests and renewed accusations that federal forces used heavy tactics, including tear gas and less-lethal rounds, against demonstrators.
Trump and Walz talk as Homan takes charge
President Trump spoke by phone on Monday with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Trump later described the call as productive and said the two were “on a similar wavelength.” Trump also announced on Truth Social that Homan would be sent to Minnesota to oversee ICE operations and report directly to the president.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation on Monday and said the administration wants to restore order while continuing deportations. She said President Trump gave Walz three requirements meant to end what the White House called “resistance and chaos” in Minnesota and reduce the need for Border Patrol support.
Leavitt listed the conditions as:
- Full cooperation in handing over people in state jails and prisons who are in the country illegally
- Ending sanctuary-style policies that block federal enforcement
- Active help from state and local officials to identify and process undocumented immigrants
“If Governor Walz and Mayor [Jacob] Frey implement these common-sense cooperative measures, which have already been implemented in nearly every other state, Customs and Border Patrol will not be needed to support ICE on the ground in Minnesota,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt praised Greg Bovino as a “wonderful man and great professional” and said he would keep a national leadership role within Border Patrol. She said Homan would take the lead on day-to-day ground operations in Minneapolis. Leavitt also said the president continues to back Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has overseen the department’s broader response.
Walz welcomes signs of a drawdown
Tim Walz, a Democrat who has openly fought the administration over the federal surge, welcomed the idea of fewer federal agents in the state. After the call with Trump, Walz said progress was being made on reducing personnel levels and giving state investigators more access to evidence tied to the Pretti shooting investigation.
Minnesota officials have also filed lawsuits challenging Operation Metro Surge. They argue the scale of the effort crosses constitutional lines and puts public safety at risk.
The federal deployments began after allegations of welfare fraud in Minnesota, which the administration connected to broader immigration enforcement. Critics, including local officials and civil rights groups, have described the surge as political payback aimed at a Democratic-leaning area that opposed Trump in recent elections.
As Greg Bovino and some agents prepare to leave, uncertainty remains around the future of Operation Metro Surge and whether Homan’s arrival will ease tensions or raise the stakes. Protests continued over the weekend, and calls for independent investigations into both fatal shootings have grown louder.
For now, the partial withdrawal stands as the clearest move toward de-escalation since the crisis began. Administration officials say enforcement will continue, with more focus on cooperation instead of confrontation.
