Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a response on X after reports claimed that Greg Bovino was demoted from his position of “commander-at-large” of the U.S. Border Patrol to his previous role at El Centro, California.
In an X post, Pritzker attached a news headline that suggests Bovino's removal and wrote, “You're next, @Sec_Noem”, pointing to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as next in line for accountability over the federal crackdown.
This comes amid speculations of growing dissatisfaction with Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security after the Minneapolis shooting incident, where a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen named Alex Pretti.
On January 26, after reaching a mutual understanding, Trump agreed to call back a few ICE agents from the state of Minnesota and send Tom Homan as Bovino and his agents leave the state.
Read more: Inside Tom Homan, Kristi Noem's ‘feud’ as Trump sends border czar to Minnesota
Pritzker's reaction and continued criticism of DHS
Governor Pritzker, a Democrat, is widely critical of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. He has been vocal about the federal actions for months now.
{{/usCountry}}Governor Pritzker, a Democrat, is widely critical of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. He has been vocal about the federal actions for months now.
{{/usCountry}}Pritzker has warned that the federal enforcement, while speaking to News Not Noise, said that the presence of ICE agents in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis could “explode at any minute” due to what he called aggressive tactics by ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Pritzker further said that Trump is provoking violence deliberately, as ICE and CBP agents are using “tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds when there is no need for it.”
He told News Not Noise, “This has been building up for some time now. DHS consistently lies.”
Read more: Jonathan Ross faces first action since Renee Good shooting; Noem confirms review
Bovino's ‘removal’ is only rumors
A report from The Atlantic indicated Bovino was removed and demoted from the Border Patrol's “commander-at-large” post and would return to his former post in El Centro, California.
Online rumors that Bovino and other ICE agents were getting ready to leave the state of Minnesota added to the speculation regarding his removal.
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later denied he had been relieved from his duties entirely and stated that he is still a “key part of the President's team.”