How Greg Bovino's Strongman Act Backfired Spectacularly

"Before two protesters were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in just over two weeks, President Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns were defined by a consistent image: Officers anonymized by balaclavas and gaiters menacing people in workplace raids and on the streets of U.S. cities far from the border. But in Minnesota, one man has become emblematic of the administration's aim to spread chaos and terror as part of its deportation strategy, his face unmasked in the cold: Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino."

"Bovino worked hard to achieve this level of visibility. He also seemed to relish it, showing up for patrol in a long green overcoat that has reasonably been described as "Nazi cosplay" and taunting protesters online and on-camera. As the backlash grew over the fatal, point-blank shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, Bovino's act became too toxic even for many Republicans. His peacocking became the butt of a national joke as more and more Americans found his Pynchonian bad-guy act ridiculous."

"Like many fast-rising officials within the administration, Bovino made a point of appearing on-camera as much as possible. Since the beginning of the second Trump term, he had been at the front of Homeland Security deployments in New Orleans, Charlotte, Sacramento, Los Angeles - where he made a hype video for masked agents set to Kendrick Lamar - and Chicago, where a federal judge determined he was "outright lying" about federal officers' use of force."

Greg Bovino emerged as a highly visible Border Patrol commander leading aggressive Homeland Security deployments across multiple U.S. cities. He cultivated public visibility and provoked protesters, appearing in a long green overcoat that critics likened to "Nazi cosplay" and taunting opponents online and on-camera. Two protesters were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis amid these operations, intensifying scrutiny and political backlash. His government social-media access was suspended, and reports indicate he was demoted to a former Border Patrol post in California and is expected to retire early. A federal judge found he was "outright lying" about officers' use of force.

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