In a sweeping reshuffle prompted by Tom Homan, the so-called ‘little Napoleon’ of the Border Patrol, Gregory Bovino, has been ordered to vacate his post in Minneapolis. This move marks a significant shift as tensions escalate in the region.

On Monday, President Donald Trump took decisive action by sidelining Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, opting instead to send seasoned ICE official and Border Czar, Tom Homan, to address the escalating turmoil in Minnesota. This decision follows the tragic shooting of a protester over the weekend.

Homan is anticipated to hold a press conference today where he will officially announce Bovino’s removal, alongside the reassignment of hundreds of his agents. This strategic move aims to calm the heated confrontations between federal forces and demonstrators, which erupted following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.

Bovino, a polarizing figure synonymous with President Trump’s hardline policies and a staunch supporter of Noem, stirred anger within the administration after suggesting that Pretti had plans to ‘massacre’ federal agents. His controversial remarks have intensified the urgency for a change in leadership as federal and local authorities strive to restore peace and order.

Bovino, the controversial face of Trump’s crackdown and a close ally of Noem, sparked fury in the White House when he claimed Pretti intended to ‘massacre’ federal agents.

Trump spent hours on Sunday and Monday watching cable news coverage and was unsettled by how the administration was being portrayed, one official told CNN.

Noem branded the ICU nurse a ‘domestic terrorist’ and claimed he brandished a firearm, sparking further frustration among administration officials. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced Trump from Noem’s language on Monday, arguing that it was not a position that the President had taken. 

Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino observes a protest in Minneapolis on January 15

Federal agents point weapons at protesters near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday

Border Czar Tom Homan visits ‘Varney & Co.’ at Fox Business Network on January 13

Bovino is a loyalist to Noem and her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski, and both have quietly pushed him as a potential replacement for current Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, a longtime ally of Homan.

Noem has sought to sideline Scott by having Bovino report directly to her, an unprecedented move within the agency.

Bovino’s removal from Minneapolis underscores Noem’s fading standing with the White House as Trump dispatches Homan and his closest allies to seize control of the operation on the ground. 

A Border Patrol veteran of 30 years, Bovino was selected last year from his role as chief patrol agent of the agency’s El Centro sector in Southern California to lead highly publicized immigration crackdowns across the country.

His aggressive tactics, often highly choreographed public displays, sparked backlash from local officials.

Bovino often stood out as the only agent not wearing a face covering when Border Patrol descended on Home Depots and gas stations. 

He has gone viral on social media as he is frequently spotted on the frontlines sporting a severe buzzcut and trench coat, which German media has likened to a ‘Nazi aesthetic.’ 

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X: ‘Greg Bovino dressed up as if he literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb. Greg Bovino, secret police, private army, masked men, people disappearing quite literally, no due process.’ 

A protester is pepper sprayed at close range while being detained near the site of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference at the headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to discuss a major winter storm affecting much of the country as well as the shooting death of a Minneapolis man by federal agents in Minnesota, in Washington, DC, on January 24

Bovino hit back, claiming he had the coat for more than 25 years and it was official Border Patrol merchandise. 

Jenn Budd, an author and expert on Border Patrol, described Bovino as ‘the Liberace’ of the agency. 

‘He was just a little Napoleon who wants you to think that he is the most moral and capable guy in the world, and everything around you is dangerous but he’s the one who’s going to save you,’ Budd told The Times. ‘It’s all a show for him.’

He once invited journalists to watch him swim across a canal in Southern California’s Imperial Valley in a bid to deter migrants considering the crossing. 

After Trump was re-elected Bovino used similar public relations expertise to catch the president’s eye. 

He sent dozens of agents to arrest migrants at gas stations along the highway ahead of Trump’s inauguration. 

Asked why Bovino was chosen to lead the force, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told reporters bluntly: ‘Because he’s a badass.’

But while Bovino’s strongman image earned him Trump’s respect, his self-proclaimed ‘turn and  burn’ enforcement strategies have sparked concern.

A federal judge accused Bovino in November of being ‘evasive’ and at times ‘outright lying’ in sworn testimony about an immigration crackdown in Chicago, finding his account ‘simply not credible.’ 

Judge Sara Ellis wrote that Bovino even admitted he lied about being hit with a rock before ordering tear gas used, and noted that video evidence flatly contradicted his claim that he never tackled a protester.