ICE crackdown's 'public face' to leave Minneapolis as Trump faces backlash
There has been a change in tone from the White House regarding the situation in Minneapolis, including from Donald Trump himself, amid mounting public backlash.
Tuesday 27 January 2026 07:36, UK
The border commander who has emerged as the face of the Trump administration's ICE operation in Minneapolis is leaving his role.
A senior White House official and Trump administration figure said Gregory Bovino would be returning to a previous local position in El Centro, California.
Latest updates from Minneapolis
It comes after Sky's US partner network NBC News reported some of his immigration enforcement agents would also depart the city on Tuesday.
Protesters assembled outside the hotel where Mr Bovino was reported to be staying on Monday night, facing off with federal officers.
It follows widespread backlash among the American public, leading Democrats, and a growing number of Republicans over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday - and the response to it.
The 37-year-old nurse, a US citizen, was shot dead in an altercation with ICE agents - the second such incident in the city this month, following the death of Renee Good.
Top officials including Mr Bovino, Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, and Trump adviser Stephen Miller tried to paint Mr Pretti as a threat to the agents, prompting a furious response from his family.
Ms Noem has claimed he approached officers with a handgun and acted violently towards them, but several pieces of footage analysed by Paste BN counters that narrative:
'Border tsar' set to take over
The removal of Mr Bovino from Minneapolis is a "major step", Sky's US correspondent Martha Kelner said.
He has become the "public face" of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, she added.
His job as commander has been to oversee Border Patrol agents making immigration arrests in US cities.
The president's "border tsar", Tom Homan, is set to arrive in Minneapolis shortly, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said he was "doing an exceptional job".
Trump touts calls with senior Democrats
There has been a marked change in tone from the White House regarding Minneapolis amid the public backlash, including from the president himself.
NBC reports, citing administration officials, that Mr Trump is "concerned" about the sustainability of the operation.
"The visuals were not playing well. He understands TV. … He saw it for himself," said a Republican lawmaker who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Mr Trump is to meet the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, on Tuesday.
"I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey, of Minneapolis," he said on Truth Social.
"Lots of progress is being made!"
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Mr Trump made similarly positive noises about an earlier conversation with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, another Democrat who has called for ICE to leave Minneapolis.
"It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength," the president said.
Read more from Paste BN:
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Among the senior Republicans to call for a change in approach are Senator Ted Cruz, who said on his podcast: "I would encourage the administration to be more measured."
The scenes in Minneapolis have also been condemned by former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who split with the president over his handling of the Epstein files.
Officials who spoke to NBC insisted Mr Trump remained committed to cracking down on immigration and fraud.