Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino began his departure from Minneapolis, marking a significant leadership shift in President Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement operation. Bovino, who had become the public face of the aggressive “Operation Metro Surge,” is being replaced on the ground by Tom Homan, the administration’s “border tsar.” The reshuffle follows the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, which sparked bipartisan outrage and mass protests across the city.
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The departure of Bovino and a contingent of federal agents comes amid a rare conciliatory tone from the White House. President Trump recently touted “productive” calls with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, indicating a possible scaling back of the federal surge. Bovino had drawn heavy fire for labeling Pretti a “gunman” intent on a “massacre,” claims that were directly contradicted by multiple bystander videos showing agents disarming Pretti before ten shots were fired into his body.
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While Homan is known for his hardline deportation views, his arrival is being framed as an attempt to “turn down the temperature” and restore coordination with local authorities. The FBI has now been tasked with an independent forensic investigation into Pretti’s death, focusing on evidence handling after federal agents reportedly failed to secure the victim’s firearm in a proper chain of custody.
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