Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol chief who oversaw the aggressive and deadly immigration enforcement in Minnesota, criticized border czar Tom Homan for not conducting sweeping operations to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
“He sounds super tough, chest out, voice all gravel,” Bovino wrote on X Wednesday in response to a clip of Homan talking about his enforcement strategy with Scott Jennings.
“But zoom in. All he’s actually promising is rounding up the ones who already have known criminal records,” Bovino added, claiming anything less than mass deportations “is just political theater.”
Bovino, who retired in March after being demoted, took a combative and forceful approach to leading immigration enforcement – unapologetically authorized his teams to utilize unorthodox methods to detain immigrants and control mass protests.
That includes indiscriminate roundups of people who were perceived as possible immigrants. But Homan, who took over Bovino’s responsibilities at President Donald Trump’s request, has approached deportations with a “softer touch.”
Homan has insisted that immigrants with criminal records should be prioritized for deportation – much to the chagrin of some Trump supporters who wanted mass deportations of all undocumented immigrants.
But Homan’s approach was considered a necessary change for the administration earlier this year, after federal agents, under Bovino’s watch, fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, leading to nationwide outrage.
Bovino accused Homan of “denying reality” in taking a more targeted approach.
“The millions who haven’t gotten caught yet? Crickets. They’re staying right where they are… until they rob or kill you,” Bovino wrote on X. “This is why a 100 million of them are laughing at us.”
White House Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “Tom Homan is an American patriot and career law enforcement officer with decades of experience effectively protecting American communities and deporting illegal aliens. The American people are deeply appreciative for his work and can rest easy knowing someone with a proven track record is help delivering on the President’s key promise to deport illegal aliens.”
Bovino’s claim also perpetuates a false assumption that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes – an unsubstantiated stereotype also bolstered by Trump.
A 2024 National Institute of Justice study found that undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug-related crimes. A 2020 research study found that undocumented immigrants had a “considerably lower felony arrest” rate than legal immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens.
Despite research indicating undocumented immigrants are not more likely to commit violent crimes than U.S. citizens, Bovino approached immigration enforcement as though that were a fact.
Critics accused Bovino of using racial profiling to target Hispanic people in California, a claim Bovino denied. Reports claimed Bovino allowed his teams to use aggressive tactics to control protests, including throwing tear gas into crowds. In text messages, released by prosecutors, Bovino praised a federal officer after the officer shot a U.S. citizen woman five times. More than a dozen incidents that occurred in Minnesota under Bovino’s watch are currently being investigated, according to the state.
Bovino had previously insulted his superior immigration officials for prioritizing intelligence-led arrests over sweeping operations referred to as “turn and burn,” calling them "status quo,” according to interviews he gave with the New York Times.
