SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — According to multiple reports, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino is being reassigned from Minneapolis back to California, ending his tenure as one of the most visible faces of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts since last summer.
According to ABC News sources, Bovino is expected to return to his chief patrol agent position in El Centro, though the timeline for this transition remains unclear.
Before his commander-at-large appointment, Bovino served as the chief patrol agent in El Centro in the neighboring Imperial County. Earlier in his career, he also spent approximately four years in charge of the Imperial Beach station in San Diego.
Eric Swanson, a retired Border Patrol supervisor who worked in the San Diego sector, knows Bovino well from their time together in the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, also known as BORTAC, which Bovino continues to be part of.
"He joined after I did, and where we worked daily was when we both were assistant chiefs at the Office of Border Patrol headquarters in Washington DC," Swanson said.
The pair worked as cubicle neighbors for several years while serving as assistant chiefs in Washington, D.C.
When asked about Bovino's character and work ethic, Swanson described him positively.
"I would say he's an honorable man in both. He likes to have fun and joke around when it's not work, but when it's work, it's head down and doing what he's assigned. There's no joking when you're going to work," Swanson said.
Bovino became the Trump administration's go-to enforcement leader for operations in cities including Los Angeles, North Carolina, New Orleans, and Minneapolis.
"His work ethics, his tenacity, and the fact that he doesn't need his hand to be held," Swanson said when asked what qualities led to Bovino's commander-at-large role.
However, Bovino's enforcement tactics have drawn significant criticism from politicians and the public, particularly regarding his response to the Alex Pretti shooting.
When asked about the criticism surrounding Bovino's actions and incidents involving fatalities, Swanson defended his former colleague.
"They don't understand his job. They don't understand what we do. They don't understand how we can enforce the laws. They don't understand immigration laws," Swanson said.
It's unclear how soon Bovino will resume his role as chief patrol agent in El Centro.
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