BREAKING: DHS pulls Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino from Minneapolis, sends Tom Homan to oversee operations
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and some agents are set to be pulled out of Minneapolis.
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Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and some agents are set to be pulled out of Minneapolis.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and a group of agents are expected to leave the Minneapolis area following President Donald Trump’s decision to dispatch White House border czar Tom Homan to oversee ICE operations in the city, CNN reports. One official described Bovino’s departure as a “mutual decision” amid a shift in federal management after Saturday’s fatal shooting of anti-ICE agitator Alex Pretti.
Authorities say Pretti was armed with a nine-millimeter handgun, had multiple loaded magazines, and was shot while violently resisting arrest during a targeted operation against an illegal immigrant with a criminal record.
The shooting occurred during what Bovino described as a targeted enforcement action against an illegal immigrant, identified as Jose Huerta Chuma, whose criminal history includes domestic assault intended to inflict bodily harm, disorderly conduct, and driving without a valid license. Speaking at a press conference, Bovino said agents were confronted by Alex Pretti during the operation.
“DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien, Jose Huerta Chuma,” Bovino told reporters. “During this operation, an individual approached US Border Patrol agents with a nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun. The agents attempted to disarm the individual, but he violently resisted.”
Bovino said the responding agent fired in self-defense after determining there was an immediate threat to life. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots,” he said. “Medics on the scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject, but the subject was pronounced dead at the scene.”
According to Bovino, Pretti was heavily armed at the time of the confrontation. “The suspect also had two loaded magazines and no accessible ID,” he said. “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
A neighbor of Pretti later told media outlets that he had been part of a neighborhood anti-ICE Signal group chat used to monitor federal immigration activity. Jeanne Massey, who lives a block away from Pretti, said he was involved with anti-ICE activists attempting to track enforcement operations.
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