Minneapolis withdrawal was 'surrender', Trump's ex-border patrol chief tells BBC

Greg Bovino, the former U.S. Border Patrol chief who became the public face of the controversial deportation drive in Minneapolis earlier this year, has defended the operation and described the Trump administration's withdrawal of agents from the city as a "surrender," in an interview with the BBC.

The 56-year-old was removed from his post shortly after immigration agents fatally shot U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January. The shootings, captured on video, drew bipartisan condemnation and widespread protests, prompting Trump to say he would "de-escalate a little bit" as some 700 immigration agents left Minnesota.

Speaking in Detroit, where he was campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement, Bovino said the administration "threw the towel in" and called for more deportations, which he claimed were now at a "virtual standstill." He added that he regretted "not going harder in Minnesota and arresting even more illegal aliens."

Bovino also brushed aside two civil lawsuits filed this month by Good's family, which allege wrongful death and accuse officials — including Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good — of creating "an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence." "People do lawsuits all the time," he said. The family's lawyers called his remarks "propaganda" and said he could not be "judge, jury, and executioner." A White House spokeswoman had previously called the lawsuits "baseless."

Responding to Bovino's comments, a White House spokesperson said the president "has delivered the largest reduction in illegal immigration in modern history," adding that "more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US" under his policies. Bovino, who has since retired from the Border Patrol, also said he was "exploring" a run for president in 2028.