In a Detroit interview, a former border patrol chief who once led the public face of the Minneapolis deportation drive looked back on that city's operation as a broken promise, calling the withdrawal of roughly 700 agents a surrender. The episode follows the January killings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whose deaths on video shook public trust and turned a federal campaign into a national argument about force, accountability and who bears its costs. Now, as civil suits move slowly toward the questioning of the officials involved, the story sits at the uneasy meeting point of
Ex-Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino calls Minneapolis withdrawal a 'surrender' and dismisses lawsuit over Renee Good's death
Two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot during the Minneapolis immigration operation in January, and Good's family is suing over her death.
"People do lawsuits all the time"
Mark
Why does it matter that Bovino is speaking out now, months after he was removed?
Mimi
Because he's describing the withdrawal as a failure of nerve, while the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are the reason the administration pulled back. He's contesting the meaning of that retreat.
Luke
And he's contesting it against video. The BBC asked whether the footage undermined his claim that both intended harm, and he said no. That's his position, not an established finding.
Mark
What are the lawsuits actually claiming?
Mimi
Two suits from Good's family. Wrongful death, and a conspiracy to interfere with protesters' civil rights. One names Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot her.
Luke
Worth noting those are allegations. The White House calls them baseless, and nothing here says a court has ruled on anything.
Mark
Bovino said he's "not responding." Is that legally meaningful?
Mimi
Probably not by itself. The family's lawyers say they look forward to deposing him, so he may have to answer under oath.
Luke
Whether that happens, and when, isn't in the reporting. Same with his reason for removal: he says he never got a final word.
Mark
And the White House's 3 million figure?
Luke
That's the White House's claim, offered in response. The piece doesn't verify it, and it also notes Bovino's 100 million claim came without evidence.
Il Polso
- Two US citizens were shot dead in January, and video of both killings turned a city operation into a national reckoning.
- The administration pulled hundreds of agents out of Minneapolis after bipartisan outrage and mass protests.
- Good's family is pressing two civil lawsuits that name senior officials, while the White House dismisses them as baseless.
- The former border patrol chief calls the retreat a surrender, signals a 2028 presidential bid, and faces a deposition of his own.
In a Detroit interview, a former border patrol chief who once led the public face of the Minneapolis deportation drive looked back on that city's operation as a broken promise, calling the withdrawal of roughly 700 agents a surrender. The episode follows the January killings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whose deaths on video shook public trust and turned a federal campaign into a national argument about force, accountability and who bears its costs. Now, as civil suits move slowly toward the questioning of the officials involved, the story sits at the uneasy meeting point of enforcement ambition and the hard evidence of what happened on the street.
Greg Bovino sat down with the BBC in Detroit, where he was campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement, and described the end of the Minneapolis operation as a surrender. He had been the public face of the deportation drive in that city, and he told the BBC the administration had "threw the towel in" and that deportations had reached a "virtual standstill." He said he regretted not going harder, and cast the agents sent to Minneapolis as the real victims.
The operation came apart in January, when two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot, both on video. The killings provoked bipartisan anger and mass protests, and Trump pulled hundreds of agents out of the city. Bovino was removed from his post soon after and has since retired. Asked why, he said the administration would have to answer that.
Good's family has now filed two civil lawsuits alleging wrongful death and a conspiracy to violate protesters' civil rights, naming Bovino among the officials. Bovino declined to engage with the suit, saying people file lawsuits all the time, while the family's lawyers accused him of spreading propaganda and said they look forward to deposing him. Pressed on the video, he insisted violence had been committed against agents and that people must follow the law.
The administration's account of Good's death has also shifted, from claims she ran over an officer to calling it a tragedy that agents sometimes make mistakes. Bovino, for his part, has floated a 2028 presidential run and pushed a hardline vision of mass deportation. The lawsuits are moving toward depositions, and he is expected to be among those questioned.
Greg Bovino was in Detroit, campaigning for tougher immigration enforcement, when he sat down with the BBC and called the end of the Minneapolis operation a surrender. The former US border patrol chief, 56, was the public face of the deportation drive in that city earlier this year. He told the BBC the Trump administration had "threw the towel in" and that deportations are now at a "virtual standstill".
He also said he regretted "not going harder in Minnesota and arresting even more illegal aliens". In his telling, the agents deployed to Minneapolis were the "real victims" of what he described as the most violence any law enforcement mission in US history has faced.
The operation unraveled in January. US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot, and both shootings were captured on video. The killings set off a bipartisan backlash and widespread protests. Trump said he was "going to de-escalate a little bit" and pulled hundreds of immigration agents out of the city. About 700 agents left the state. Bovino was removed from his post shortly after the shootings, and the White House border tsar, Tom Homan, took over the operation. Asked why he was removed, Bovino said, "You'd have to ask the administration. I still haven't gotten the final word on that." He has since retired from the border patrol.
Earlier this month, Good's family filed two civil lawsuits against the Trump administration, alleging wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of protesters. One names several senior officials, including Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, for their individual roles in the operation. It alleges the Minneapolis operation created "an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence". A White House spokeswoman previously called the lawsuits "baseless".
Bovino told the BBC he was "not responding" to the suit. He praised the officers and said, "people do lawsuits all the time". The family's lawyers answered that he was "spewing propaganda" and could not be "judge, jury, and executioner". They added that their team looks forward to deposing Bovino and all the other defendants.
The BBC pressed him on how agents handled both shootings, and on whether the video evidence undercut his claim that Good and Pretti meant to harm agents. He rejected that. "The evidence is that violence was perpetrated against agents of the US government, and this is a society of laws and people need to follow the law. If not, there are consequences," he said.
The administration's own account of Good's death has shifted. Hours after she was killed, Trump said she "violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer". Weeks later he called her death a "tragedy" and said agents are sometimes "going to make a mistake". Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary during the operation, was fired by Trump in March.
Bovino has become known for a hardline stance that often goes further than Trump's own officials. He has claimed, without evidence, that 100 million people are in the US illegally and should be deported. He has called for "total spectrum immigration enforcement" backed by the military, with "cruise ships packed to the gills, cars, planes, trains, automobiles" carrying people out of the country. A White House spokesperson, asked about his Minneapolis comments, said the president had delivered the largest reduction in illegal immigration in modern history, and that more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the US because of his policies.
Bovino has also floated "exploring" a 2028 presidential run. "If politicians aren't going to step up and do their job then you might see something happen," he said. He recently addressed a far-right rally in Michigan by activists calling for the deportation of Abdul El-Sayed, a US-born citizen and the Democratic candidate in a tight Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim senator if he wins. Meanwhile, the lawsuits move toward depositions, and Bovino is expected to be among those questioned.
Citazioni salienti
The evidence is that violence was perpetrated against agents of the US government, and this is a society of laws and people need to follow the law. If not, there are consequences.— Greg Bovino, to the BBC
Bovino was 'spewing propaganda' and could not be 'judge, jury, and executioner'.— Lawyers for Renee Good's family
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Politics & Governance