The acting commander of the U.S. Border Patrol and an unspecified number of agents are expected to leave Minnesota “soon,” according to multiple reports, amid growing anger over a series of deaths linked to a massive federal immigration crackdown in the state. Gregory Bovino, who oversaw Border Patrol operations during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, is among those expected to depart. wall street journal reported.
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Earlier, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt announced that Trump administration border czar Tom Homan would take command of the Minneapolis operation.
related: Federal agent kills another person in Minneapolis
related:Who is Renee Nicole Good? In memory of a Minneapolis poet and mother killed by ICE
Mr. Bovino, the public face of the Trump hardliner’s deportation arrests, had been under intense scrutiny after his agents fired less-lethal chemical irritants at peaceful protesters. Bovino also leaned into an authoritarian fashion sense, wearing what appeared to be customized Uniforms that many critics said resembled Nazi-era uniforms.
The reversal comes days after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, during an immigration operation in south Minneapolis, a killing that has sparked protests and renewed scrutiny of federal tactics.
Related: Former Minneapolis City Council president says federal immigration agents are modern-day ‘slave patrols’
Preti’s death comes on the heels of another fatal shooting earlier this month, in which her gay mother, Renee Nicole Good, was shot to death in her car by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. The incidents have prompted calls from local leaders and advocates to end or reduce the federal presence.
Minneapolis Voices is experiencing the federal surge as more than routine enforcement. said former Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins, a black transgender leader. defender The operation has changed life in the city, with residents carrying whistles to warn each other if agents are nearby, and many avoiding public places out of fear. Jenkins described the deployment as similar to slave patrols in the 18th and 19th centuries, when roaming mobs of men hunted down and brutalized enslaved people in the United States.
related: Minnesotans mourn Alex Preti, man killed by Border Patrol agents
related:The ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has been identified.
It remains unclear how many employees will retire, whether those departures will include ICE officers, or what impact the move will have on ongoing enforcement operations. Operation Metro Surge brought more than 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota, according to court filings and public statements. Federal authorities have not publicly commented on the reported departure.
This is a developing story.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
