Was Greg Bovino fired
Executive summary
Reports from multiple outlets say Gregory “Greg” Bovino was removed or shifted out of his high-profile “commander at large” role amid backlash over deadly federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, but the Department of Homeland Security publicly pushed back and said he has not been relieved of his duties — leaving his status contested in real time [1] [2] [3].
1. What the major outlets reported: demotion or removal from the ‘commander at large’ post
Several national news organizations, citing DHS officials and people with knowledge of internal decisions, reported that Bovino would be removed from his traveling “commander at large” assignment and returned to his prior sector post in El Centro, California — a change described as a demotion ahead of an expected retirement [1] [2] [4].
2. DHS and White House pushback: “has NOT been relieved of his duties”
Hours after outlets such as The Atlantic published accounts of a removal, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin tweeted that “Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties,” and the department and some White House officials publicly defended him and framed any movement out of Minnesota as an operational shift rather than a firing [3] [5] [6] [7].
3. Local context: what prompted the reporting — the Minneapolis fallout
The coverage of Bovino’s status followed intense scrutiny of federal immigration operations in Minnesota after separate deadly encounters involving agents and civilians — including the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — and video and eyewitness reporting that amplified criticism of tactics used by Bovino’s teams while operating in cities [8] [1] [4].
4. Conflicting characterizations: “ousted,” “leaving,” “pulled from role” and the media ecosystem
Headlines varied widely — from outlets saying Bovino was “ousted” or “pushed out” to others reporting he would “leave Minnesota” or be “pulled from his role” — while conservative and partisan outlets emphasized operational adjustments and denials from DHS, and left‑leaning outlets highlighted sources describing an internal demotion tied to political fallout [8] [9] [5] [10].
5. Bottom line and limits of available reporting
Based on current reporting, it is accurate to say Bovino has been reported by multiple outlets to have been removed from or demoted out of the traveling “commander at large” assignment and reassigned to El Centro, California, but DHS officials have explicitly denied he was relieved of duty — therefore, whether he was formally “fired” is not established conclusively in the public record at this time because official DHS statements contradict the characterization of a firing [1] [2] [3] [11].