Fact Check: Did Trump fire Greg Bovino as head of Border Patrol?
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said on Sunday, January 25, that Federal Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis intensive care nurse, have been reassigned outside the city but remain on active duty.
Recently, a rumor circulated online claiming that President Donald Trump fired Bovino from his position as the head of Border Patrol. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: Trump fired Greg Bovino as head of Border Patrol
Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, a rumor circulated across social media platforms claiming that President Trump fired Greg Bovino from his position as the head of Border Patrol.
An X post read, "I hear Greg Bovino was also FIRED from his position as Commander of ICE and is expected to retire soon. Good riddance to pocket Hitler."
I hear Greg Bovino was also FIRED from his position as Commander of ICE and is expected to retire soon. Good riddance to pocket Hitler.
— Crazy Fenak (@CrazyFenaker) January 27, 2026
Meanwhile, another X account wrote, "BREAKING: Greg Bovino just got demoted by President Donald Trump and is fleeing Minnesota to his former job in California. Democrats just won this fight."
Similarly, another X post read, "Greg Bovino’s position has been eliminated bc he was 'too harsh on deportations.' Bovino wasn’t allowed to be harsh enough, if you ask me. If Trump is responsible for this, this is the biggest mistake I’ve ever seen him make."
A Facebook user also shared a similar claim, stating, "In a huge defeat for MAGA, Greg Bovino is fired from his job as the head of border patrol after ICE shot dead several innocent Americans and terrorized American citizens."
Fact Check: False, Greg Bovino reassigned to his former job in California
The claims made in the online rumor are false, as there is no credible evidence to prove that President Trump fired Greg Bovino from his position as the head of border patrol.
Moreover, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explicitly stated that Bovino 'is going to very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol throughout and across the country,’ and confirmed he retains his broader role in the agency.
No official statements from the White House, DHS or Trump describe it as a firing; instead, it's framed as a strategic shift or response to operational fallout.
Meanwhile, certain media reports mentioned that Bovino was removed from his command role in Minneapolis and is being reassigned back to his prior sector in El Centro, California.
Various outlets describe this as a demotion, relief from command, reassignment or departure from the Minneapolis operations—not a firing.
The Atlantic explicitly called it a "sudden demotion," with Bovino expected to return to El Centro and retire soon.
The New York Times reported the Trump administration is "planning to move" him out of Minneapolis.
CBS News stated he was "relieved of his command in Minneapolis" and is returning to California.
PBS, AP, Fox News and others used terms like "expected to leave," "departure," or "reassigned out of Minneapolis," tying it to a shift in tactics after backlash over incidents, including the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by agents under his oversight.
The online rumor coincided with Trump's deployment of border czar Tom Homan to oversee ICE operations in Minnesota, signaling a leadership adjustment on the ground amid protests, legal challenges, and public outrage.
Greg Bovino has been removed from his role as Border Patrol Head and will return to his earlier job in El Centro, California, where he will retire soon, a DHS official and two other insiders revealed.
Tom Homan to head to Minnesota
On Monday, January 26, Donald Trump signalled in a series of social-media posts a tactical shift in the administration’s mass-deportation campaign. He wrote that he spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the two men are now on 'a similar wavelength'.
Tom Homan, the former ICE chief, will head to Minnesota to assume command of the federal mobilization there, the POTUS said.
The Atlantic, citing sources, mentioned that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her close adviser Corey Lewandowski, who were Bovino’s biggest backers at DHS, are also at risk of losing their jobs.
Bovino has been the public face of an immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats in the last seven months. The DHS Secretary and other Trump officials gave Bovino the 'commander' title and sent him and his masked border agents to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans, and then Minneapolis.
