President Donald Trump made a Truth Social post about having a “good telephone conversation” with the officials in Minneapolis. The post suggested that moves were made to calm the civil unrest in the state, following three shooting incidents and the reported unlawful detention of a 2-year-old.
In the aftermath of the post, CNN reported that Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol Chief, and some of his agents had been ordered to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday. What made the transfer all the more surprising was that the Department of Homeland Security had suspended his access to social media accounts.
The decision was made after the Commander-at-large had been chronically active on social media, calling out people who criticized Alex Pretti’s shooting. The report said that an anonymous official mentioned that Bovino’s exit from Minneapolis was a “mutual decision.”
BREAKING: DHS just cut Gregory Bovino off from his own social media after he spent all day arguing online and pushing unverified claims about Alex Pretti.
Read between the lines:
They let him talk.
He made it worse.
So they pulled the plug.
That’s damage control
— tech (@raajghfhf) January 27, 2026
Additionally, “administration officials” were frustrated with how Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and Gregory Bovino handled the fallout following the third shooting incident. Trump had reportedly been spending several hours watching the news and how his administration’s name was portrayed.
One of the senior officials reported that higher-ups discussed the issue on Sunday and how Noem’s comments labeling Pretti a “domestic terrorist” worsened the situation. In a separate report from The Atlantic, a political insider said that Gregory Bovino has been fired from his position as a Border Patrol “commander at large” and would return to his old job before retiring soon.
The aggressive tactics following Alex Pretti’s killing led to immense backlash against Donald Trump’s administration. Thus, the MAGA commander’s unforeseen demotion is the ‘clearest sign’ of the POTUS reconsidering its moves. The best way to contain the damage is to remove Bovino and some of his men from the city.
However, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted on X, clarifying that Chief Bovino was not relieved of his position. She reminded people of Karoline Leavitt’s comments on how Bovino is a “key part” of the POTUS’ team and a “great American.”
Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties. As @PressSec stated from the White House podium, @CMDROpAtLargeCA is a key part of the President’s team and a great American. https://t.co/qj3E9B8uzg
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 27, 2026
In the same report from The Atlantic, an insider claimed that Noem and Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s close advisor, are in the bad books of the administration. Hence, they are close to losing their jobs because they had vehemently backed Bovino’s actions.
The Washington Examiner also reported that Kristi Noem had instructed the Border Patrol Chief to break the chain of command and report directly to her. As a result, the 57-year-old became the face of the immigration crackdown for the past few months.
Along with Noem and other cabinet members of Trump, they gave him the “commander” title. They also gave him a free rein to slap back at Democratic supporters and politicians for questioning their methods. Reports of Bovino’s suspension were welcomed with open arms, with Gavin Newsom, the California governor, sharing an illustration of Bovino crying as a DHS agent holds him while another hand takes away his social media access.
