Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino spent the night drowning his sorrows in a Las Vegas bar surrounded by a crew of MAGA goons during his first public outing since being sidelined by Donald Trump.
Bovino, 55, was dumped from his role as the aggressive frontline face of the president’s deportation drive after the fatal shooting of two American protesters, unarmed mom Renee Nicole Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti, both 37, by immigration agents in Minneapolis last month.
On Jan. 27, it was revealed that Trump, 79, had sent the self-styled “commander-in-chief” of Border Patrol’s “Green Machine” back to his original stomping ground in California’s El Centro sector, and banned the outspoken law enforcement chief from using his beloved official government X account.
But it appears Bovino didn’t let his humiliation get in the way of a good party and instead decided to drink through the pain on a boozy Friday night out in Sin City.
On Jan. 30, three days after he was unceremoniously dispatched back to California, the North Carolina native was seen downing a large glass of red wine as he chatted and laughed uproariously with a group of younger males in the Bottled Blonde on Las Vegas Boulevard.
After leaving the busy sports bar, Bovino was also filmed walking down the famous strip with the same men. It is not known whether they were his Border Patrol colleagues, friends, or strangers.
While not dressed in his standard green military fatigues, Bovino—whose Border Patrol SS-style coat had drawn unfavorable ‘Nazi’ comparisons—was instantly recognizable in casual clothes, including a burgundy long-sleeved top and jeans, because of his distinctive crew cut hairstyle.
Photos and videos of the evening soiree, captured by fellow drinkers, have since circulated online. More than one X user has claimed that Bovino had been “chased out and asked to leave by bar staff,” but this could not be confirmed.
Staff at the bar, which is close to the city’s famous Bellagio fountains, told Daily Beast reporters to email the venue’s manager, but the email they gave bounced back. The Beast has also contacted Bovino for comment.
One X user wrote: “Seeing Greg Bovino laughing in Las Vegas is understandably upsetting to many, especially so soon after Alex Pretti’s death.”
Another posted: “Saw a photo earlier of Bovino hanging out in Vegas looking like he’s chuckling over his terrorism throughout the country.” A third wrote: “America is a safer place and a better place when Greg Bovino is in Las Vegas laughing and drinking.”
But not everyone was unhappy to see him there. Nevada Republican Men’s Club posted on X: “Greg Bovino ALWAYS Welcome in Las Vegas!!!” Another X user wrote: “Next time your in Vegas let me buy you and your team a drink for your great work sir.”
Several X users made now obligatory height jokes about the diminutive Border Patrol commander.
One commenter posted: “Greg Bovino was only caught laughing in a bar in Las Vegas because he wasn’t tall enough to be caught laughing on a roller coaster.”
Another wrote: “Guess the bar doesn’t have a height requirement.” One said, “Do they have to bring a phone book so he can sit at the slot machines.”
Vegas appears to have been the latest stop on Bovino’s sad journey home after his humiliating demotion.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had elevated him to “commander-at-large,” putting his team in charge of Operation Metro Surge, which ended with ICE agent Jonathan Ross killing Good and Border Patrol officers throwing Pretti to the ground and shooting him dead.
Inside the West Wing, polls showed voters were repulsed by images of Bovino’s masked teams sweeping through cities, roughing up protesters, and hauling off kids, and senior aides started calling him a “liability.”
After Bovino went on TV to parrot Noem’s line that Pretti was a would-be “terrorist” and even claimed, without evidence, that he’d planned to “massacre” officers, Trump finally cut him loose, handing Minnesota to rival Tom Homan.
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