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Greg Bovino, the former commander-at-large for Customs and Border Protection immigration enforcement operations, is expected to retire at the end of the month, multiple officials familiar with the decision told ABC News.
Bovino and some 200 agents were the face of CBP’s immigration enforcement operation — carrying out high-profile operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis.
He was relieved of his commander-at-large duties earlier this year after two federal officer-involved deaths of American citizens in Minneapolis. Border Czar Tom Homan was sent into Minneapolis to help quell tensions between state and local leaders and the Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino speaks during a news conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal on January 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The news conference comes after 37-year-old legal observer Alex Pretti was fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents. The Trump administration has sent a reported 3,000 federal agents into the area, with more on the way, as they make a push to arrest undocumented immigrants in the region.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to ABC News that Bovino has not submitted retirement paperwork.
Before becoming the commander-at-large, Bovino was the chief of CBP’s El Centro sector. He was also a close ally of outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Chief Advisor Corey Lewandowski.
In an email that was previously reported by ABC News, Bovino said he reported directly to Lewandowski and Secretary Noem, bypassing the typical chain of command in which he would report to CBP chief Rodney Scott.
RJ Hauman, the president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, blasted Bovino and applauded his departure.
“After spending four years under Biden as a sector chief in El Centro quietly processing illegals on an industrial scale, the border was finally secured with a pen in Washington, spurring him into action. Then Noem and Lewandowski handed him a microphone and a costume, and suddenly he’s the Punisher,” Hauman, a key figure in the mass deportation movement, told ABC News.
“It looked like mass deportation was happening, but the reality was daily standoffs, tear gas theatrics, and tough guy photo ops. They could have quietly roamed the field, hitting worksite after worksite by surprise (actually removing illegals they released) but that doesn’t get you followers or attention. The whole thing was a sham, good riddance,” Hauman said.
Bovino drew the ire of career Customs and Border Protection in Washington and ICE officials for the way he conducted his operations, according to multiple sources.
A source said it was “surprising” that it took “this long” for Bovino to retire. “He is single-handedly responsible for where the polling is on immigration,” the source said.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement that Bovino will be held accountable and that nobody is above the law.
“Greg Bovino won’t just get to walk away — he will be held accountable and responsible for the damage he’s done to our nation,” Prizker said on X, “We won’t forget, and neither should you.”
Bovino and Governor Pritzker repeatedly clashed while he was conducting “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago.
Bovino and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
