DHS revokes Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino’s social media access: report

WASHINGTON, DC: Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has reportedly been stripped of access to his government social media accounts.

Bovino will return to his former post in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, The Atlantic reported, citing a Homeland Security official and two people familiar with the change. 

DHS revokes Border Patrol chief’s social media access

Homeland Security sources told the Daily Mail that Bovino’s government social media accounts were revoked on the orders of his boss, Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott.

CNN separately reported that a source familiar with the matter said the Department of Homeland Security suspended Bovino’s access to his social media accounts, effective immediately.

Despite the move, DHS insisted that Bovino remains on the job. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on social media that Bovino is not being relieved of his duties.

“Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties. As @PressSec stated from the White House podium, @CMDROpAtLargeCA is a key part of the President’s team and a great American,” McLaughlin wrote on X.

It is worth noting that Bovino frequently used one X account, @CMDROpAtLargeCA, to post multiple times a day. He trolled critics, shared mugshots of immigrants arrested by his officers, and promoted his appearances at press conferences and on cable news.

Gregory Bovino’s online feud after Minneapolis shooting

The apparent shakeup followed a weekend of intense social media activity from Bovino after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street.

Bovino posted more than 40 responses defending the actions of federal officers involved in the shooting.

He repeatedly posted “don’t assault federal officers” in response to random X users who shared biographical information portraying Pretti in a positive light. In response to one account claiming that Pretti “never at any time produced a gun,” Bovino wrote that “the SUSPECT confronted and assaulted officers and was armed while doing so.” 

Bovino also clashed publicly with lawmakers, including Republican Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who wrote that “carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government.” 

Bovino fired back, “Attacking law enforcement is not a right like you want it to be.” He also sparred with Republican Louisiana Sen Bill Cassidy and Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico, both of whom called for independent investigations into the shooting.

After the flurry of posts, Bovino’s X account went silent for at least 11 hours.

Trump moves to defuse Minneapolis unrest

The reported move is part of a broader shakeup by the Trump administration at the request of Border Czar Tom Homan.

Both Bovino and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are said to have been sidelined as Homan heads to Minneapolis.

Bovino previously served as chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector of the Border Patrol in southern California before being elevated during Trump’s second administration.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed that President Trump had arranged a meeting between the two when Homan arrives.

The decision is aimed at de-escalating violence between federal agents and rioters that erupted Saturday following Pretti’s killing. Bovino reportedly raised eyebrows in the White House after claiming Pretti intended to “massacre” federal agents.