Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino Demoted: Sources

A senior Border Patrol official has been quietly stripped of his high-profile role in Minnesota after two fatal shootings by federal agents there this month, a source tells FOX 2. Gregory Bovino, who had been serving as Commander-at-Large overseeing Department of Homeland Security operations in Minnesota during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge," has been demoted and will return to his previous post in California, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sources who spoke to ABC News say the commander-at-large role was a temporary position, and that Bovino will return to his role as chief of the El Centro sector. Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin clarified Bovino "has NOT been relieved of his duties."

The move follows the Minneapolis deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens killed in separate encounters with federal agents weeks apart while Bovino was in charge of the operation. The decision comes amid weeks of demonstrations and national scrutiny over the heavy federal presence in Minnesota. It was reported earlier Monday that Bovino and an unspecified number of federal agents would leave the state as soon as Tuesday. Operation Metro Surge has deployed more than 3,000 federal personnel to Minnesota for immigration enforcement, including roughly 2,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and about 1,000 Customs and Border Protection agents. It remains unclear how many of those Border Patrol agents are now being pulled out, or whether any ICE agents are affected.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on social media that some Border Patrol agents will depart Tuesday and that he spoke with President Trump about winding down the operation. Frey said he emphasized how much the city "has benefited from our immigrant communities" and urged that Metro Surge end, adding that Trump agreed the current situation "cannot continue." Frey plans to meet Tuesday with border "czar" Tom Homan, who is headed to the city, to discuss next steps. ABC notes Trump is "bypassing the normal chain of command" by sending Homan, who will report directly to the president—and not to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, to whom Bovino reports. As one GOP lawmaker explains to NBC News, "The visuals were not playing well. [Trump] understands TV. … He saw it for himself."