Border Patrol officialGregory Bovino, who became the face of the Trump administration's controversial immigration enforcement, plans to retire at the end of March, multiple news organizations reported on March 16.
In an interview withBreitbart Texas, Bovino, now a chief patrol agent along California's El Centro sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, announced he would be leaving the agency in the coming weeks, but has not yet submitted the required paperwork.CBS News,NBC News, andCNN, citing anonymous sources, also reported that Bovino is retiring after nearly three decades with Border Patrol.
"The greatest honor of my entire life was to work alongside Border Patrol agents on the border and in the interior of the United States in some of the most challenging conditions the agency has ever faced," Bovino told Breitbart Texas.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino speaks during a news conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal on Jan. 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. The news conference comes after 37-year-old legal observer Alex Pretti was fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents. The Trump administration has sent a reported 3,000 federal agents into the area, with more on the way, as they make a push to arrest undocumented immigrants in the region." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
US Border Patrol Chief Bovino under fire after Minneapolis deaths
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander at LargeGregory Bovinospeaks during a news conference at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal on Jan. 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. The news conference comes after 37-year-old legal observer Alex Pretti was fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents. The Trump administration has sent a reported 3,000 federal agents into the area, with more on the way, as they make a push to arrest undocumented immigrants in the region.
He added that watching agents "giving it their all in some of the most dangerous of environments we have ever faced was humbling."
His retirement plans coincide with the ousting of Department of Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem, whose last day at the agency is March 31. Earlier this month, PresidentDonald Trumpfired Noem and appointed herspecial envoy for The Shield of the Americas, his initiative for security against narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.
Bovino emerged as a leading public face of the Trump administration's immigration operations over the past year, spearheading the militarized approach to immigration enforcement that has come to characterize the administration's efforts. His aggressive tactics and handling of operations in Minnesota, Chicago, and Los Angeles havedrawn criticismfrom lawmakers and civil rights advocates.
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Immigration enforcement operations in Chicago, Minneapolis
Bovino first drew a national spotlight when he ledOperation Midway Blitzin Chicago. His high-profile moments in the nation's third-largest city included staging a raid on an apartment building using a Black Hawk helicopter; using chemical irritants on protesters in apparent violation of a judge's order; and being ordered to appear in federal court, where a U.S. District Court judge scolded him for the tear-gassing incident.
He drew further scrutiny after the shootings of two U.S. citizens,Renee GoodandAlex Pretti, during immigration operations in Minnesota. Bovino has repeatedlydefended the tactics of immigration agentsin Minneapolis, arguing that they were facing an angry public on the streets that he said interfered with their attempts at immigration enforcement.
Along with Noem, Bovino cast Pretti's killing as an act of self-defense by federal agents, and stated Pretti intended to harm officers without providing evidence to support the allegations.
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In late January, the White House announced thatborder czar Tom Homanwas being sent to the state as the Trump administration's new point person for immigration enforcement operations. Bovino wasreturned to his former role as a Border Patrol sector chiefin El Centro, California.
Homan held talks with Minnesota Gov.Tim Walzand Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and set a less confrontational tone. In February, Homan announced that he wassending home hundreds of agentsbut noted that immigration enforcement wouldcontinue in the state.
Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, Fernando Cervantes Jr., James Powel, Trevor Hughes, Michael Loria, and Terry Collins, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Gregory Bovino, outspoken Border Patrol official, plans to retire