ICE Commander Behind Minnesota Crackdown Sent Back To CA After Alex Pretti Shooting: Report

EL CENTRO, CA — Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino is heading back to his former post in California following a demotion from his role as "commander at large," the Atlantic and other media outlets reported.

Reports have also suggested he would be retiring soon though the Department of Homeland Security has disputed any claims that he is being relieved of his duties.

Bovino, who has become the face of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, has defended the shooting death of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in recent days on X — where he is known to be a rampant poster. Following his arguments with lawmakers and others online, the Department of Homeland Security suspended access to his social media accounts, CNN reported on Monday.

READ MORE: Head Of LA Border Patrol Campaign Shows How Immigration Agents Rack Up Arrests

Bovino had accused Pretti, an American citizen, of assaulting federal agents before he was killed. Widely-viewed footage of the killing appears to dispute his claim.

Bovino is expected to return to Border Patrol's El Centro Sector in the Imperial Valley as Border czar Tom Homan is set to take his place in Minneapolis.

Bovino has come under fire on multiple occasions by lawmakers and others. More recently, photos of him in a green wool, double-breasted overcoat, likened to a "Nazi coat," have spread rapidly across social media.

Gov. Gavin Newsom took to X calling it "Nazi-coded." He has also called Bovino "Gestapo Greg."

Bovino's transfer to his old position isn't the first time he's run into scrutiny.

In August 2023, he was relieved of command of the agency's El Centro, California, sector, where he rose to be one of 20 regional chiefs across the country.

Then, Bovino blamed several perceived transgressions, details of which have not been previously reported: an online profile picture of him posing with an M4 assault rifle; social media posts that were considered inappropriate; and sworn congressional testimony that he and other sector chiefs gave on the state of the border during a record surge of migrants.

Thirty minutes after his second congressional hearing, Bovino said, he was removed from his position and asked, "Are you going to retire now?”

He did not retire; the profile photo with the assault rifle quickly came back online and, over the summer last year, he led the aggressive immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, which the federal government once called “ground zero for the effects of the border crisis.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.