White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 26, 2026. (Photo by Li Yuanqing/Xinhua)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave the city of Minneapolis on Tuesday in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, local media reported Monday.
Administration officials were left deeply frustrated over the weekend by the way Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem handled the fallout over the fatal shooting of Pretti in Minneapolis, CNN quoted sources as saying.
Some say that Bovino, who became the face of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operation in the U.S. state of Minnesota, made matters worse by claiming Pretti intended to "massacre" federal agents, the report said.
U.S. officials were also irked after Noem labeled Pretti a "domestic terrorist" and accused him of brandishing his legally owned firearm, a claim that was not backed up by video evidence, the report added.
Bovino and an unspecified number of Border Patrol agents will be leaving the state as soon as Tuesday, Fox News cited multiple federal sources as saying.
The expected departure of Bovino comes as Trump announced Monday that he is sending White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to take charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Bovino "is going to very much continue to lead Customs and Border Patrol, throughout and across the country," and Homan "will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis to follow up." ■