Greg Bovino lost his job? DHS official gives major update amid claims of senior Border Patrol commander leaving Minneapolis

Fresh updates have surfaced hours after rumors claimed that senior Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino had been removed from his post, with reports suggesting he and several agents were expected to leave Minneapolis as early as Tuesday (January 27, 2026).

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has clarified that Bovino has not been relieved of his duties.





Earlier The Atlantic cited a DHS official and two people with knowledge of the change and reported that Bovino was removed from his role as Border Patrol “commander at large.” The report also claimed that he was set to return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon.

Initial reports also suggested that top Border Patrol official Bovino and some of his agents were expected to leave Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly suspended his access to his social media accounts, a source told CNN.

Killing of Alex Pretti

The rumors claiming the departure of Bovino, who has been at the center of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement surge in cities nationwide, surfaced two days after outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.

Criticism around Bovino reportedly increased in the last few days after his public defense of the shooting and disputed claims about the confrontation that led to his death. Federal agents shot and claimed Pretti’s life in Minneapolis on Saturday (January 24, 2026), the second person to be fatally shot in the city during the Trump administration's immigration enforcement crackdown this month.

Alex Pretti’s sister criticizes how Trump administration has portrayed him

The younger sister of Alex Pretti issued a statement on Monday (January 26, 2026) memorializing her big brother’s kindness and criticizing “disgusting lies” told in the wake of his death, according to news agency AP.

Micayla Pretti called her brother a hero and thanked everyone who had reached out to the family with messages or posts she described as sharing the overwhelming positivity that reflected his character, work ethic and passions.

“All Alex ever wanted was to help someone — anyone,” she said, AP reported. “Even in his very last moments on this earth, he was simply trying to do just that.” She made reference to efforts by top Trump administration officials to paint her brother, an intense care nurse at a VA hospital, as a “domestic terrorist” and would-be assassin.

“When does this end? How many more innocent lives must be lost before we say enough?” Micayla Pretti asked. “Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching.”