The Trump administration is planning to move Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official whose tactics in major American cities have drawn controversy, out of Minneapolis, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information publicly.
The decision to move Mr. Bovino was the latest signal that the Trump administration is attempting to scale back its aggressive immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota. It came hours after President Trump said he was sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to oversee ICE operations in the state.
Several other Border Patrol agents are expected to leave with Mr. Bovino.
Mr. Bovino’s operations in major American cities across the country have sparked lawsuits and protests. Mr. Bovino, a sector chief in one part of the California border, first became a fixture after he led immigration operations following protests in Los Angeles in June. Since then, he has been deployed to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis.
As of this weekend, there were more than 1,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agents in the city. That’s along with a force of up to 2,000 from ICE.
On Monday, Mr. Trump changed course on his operation in Minneapolis, announcing on social media that he was deploying Mr. Homan to the state. White House officials said that Mr. Homan would take the lead on the immigration operation in the state.
“I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight,” Mr. Trump wrote. “He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”
Hamed Aleaziz covers the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy for The Times.
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