E-Paper
Greg Bovino ‘Nazi-coded’ coat controversy explained: What we know about the uniform as Border Patrol chief speaks out
Greg Bovino has spoken out amid criticism over his trench coat, saying it is “definitely Border Patrol-issued.”
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino has spoken out amid criticism over his trench coat, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom saying it looks like “SS garb.” At the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, Newsom said the Trump administration official “dressed up as if he literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb.”
In an X post, Newsom's press office called the coat “Nazi-coded.”
Bovino’s trench coat did not sit well with several Netizens too, who were reminded of similar coats used as Nazi uniforms. Some called it his “custom Nazi cosplay coat,” while others said he looks like Hitler and an “absolute Gestapo” when he wears the coat.
“That coat is definitely Border Patrol-issued,” Bovino said during an interview with NewsNation’s ‘On Balance with Leland Vittert.’
“I’ve had it for over 25 years,” he added. “I bought that as a young agent, approximately 1999.”
Read More | What's happening in St. Paul? ICE agents raid door-to-door, Greg Bovino spotted at Target; videos
Newsom’s press office even accused Bovino of “walking the streets of America dressed up as a Nazi.”
“What’s interesting here is,” Bovino told Vittert,“ is oh, five, six years ago, I wore that very coat, the one that he’s talking about, to Commissioner Chris Magnus’ coronation there at Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, D.C. … received nothing but compliments on that coat.”
Former president Joe Biden nominated Magnus in 2021 to head up US Customs and Border Protection.
“That was during the last administration,” Bovino explained. “As you know, fast forward a few years to this administration, all of a sudden, it’s a problem.
He added, “What changed there? Why is it a problem now? But it wasn’t during the last administration.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the New York Times that the coat is “standard-issue Border Patrol winter dress uniform.” “There are legitimate policy debates to be had, but manufacturing fake outrage and likening law enforcement to the Nazis or Gestapo is incredibly dangerous,” she added.
What we know about Greg Bovino’s coat
Bovino’s coat does share visual similarities with certain Nazi uniforms, like the German M40 overcoat worn by Kriegsmarine officers, but there is more to the coat than just that. According to Politico, the double-breasted closure, metal buttons and Ulster collar are hallmarks of the greatcoat, which is a 19th-century form of outerwear that soldiers from various nations wore.
Read More | Could Greg Bovino go to jail? Border Patrol chief summoned to court for throwing tear gas can in Chicago
Greatcoats were worn by members of the Allied forces, including British and American troops, during the Second World War. In fact, Joseph Stalin was seen wearing one at the 1945 Yalta Conference.
Bovino’s coat is not a Hitlerian symbol, but it does show how immigration officials’ uniforms have changed over the years. Border Patrol agents wore tailored uniforms in the 1950s – cropped jackets worn over two-pocket work shirts and dark neckties, pressed trousers with stripes running down the leg, and brimmed campaign hats drawn from state police and cavalry traditions.
Immigration enforcement, since then, started to become more martial in character. Bovino’s coat is a symbol of how much evolution immigration officials’ uniforms have undergone over the decades.
