Ex-border chief pushes for more deportations
By: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
USA Today
..... Greg Bovino, a former top U.S. Border Patrol official who became the face of the trump administration's controversial immigration enforcement surge, criticized members of Trump's inner circle for "pushing to dial back" on mass deportations.
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Bovino was ousted from his past as U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large in January [2026] after the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. He was reassigned to his former role overseeing border patrol operation in El Centro, California. He retired from the post in March. [2026]
..... On May 31, [2026] Bovino shared a video of himself speaking at the far-right Remonstrations Summit in Porto, Portugal, saying Trump needed "better advice" and taking aim at White House Che if of Staff Susie Wiles for attempting to "water down mass deportations."
..... He also mocked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for not being up to the job. Mullin was confirmed by the Senate in March [2026] to take over the position after Bovino's former boss, Kristi Noem, was dismissed for her job as DHS secretary following controversy surrounding her spending and a federal contract.
..... "Trump's team says immigration is his top issue according to the polls. Voters trust him on the border more than anyone. So why is @SusieWiles47 pushing to dial it back and water down mass deportation?" Bovino wrote on X companioning he video. "You don't win by running away from your strongest issue. Mass depredations are the solution to perpetual victory!"
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Bovino also tagged Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign manager, along with Wiles in a post on May 31 [2026] referring to clashes between agents and demonstrators outside Delaney hall, an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey.
..... "Day 9 of the riots and people like @SusieWiles47 and @ChrisLaCivita are steering the president toward caving to anarchists instead of the strong immigration enforcement voters demeaned," he wrote.
..... Immigration detention numbed fell by about 15% from an all-time high in January [2026] of 70,766 to 60,311 by early April. [2026] according to newly released data.
..... The drop followed the enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Rennie Good and Alex Pretti.