According to the Immigration Council, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained over 70,000 people since the beginning January, but President Donald Trump and United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem aren’t the only forces behind these actions.
Gregory Kent Bovino, U.S. Border Patrol chief and descendant of Italian immigrants, helped lead the administration’s recent immigration enforcement surge before being removed from his post earlier in February.
A representative from Howard University’s BlackOUT Arts Collective who has chosen to go by “Kalia,” spoke to how impactful Bovino’s role has been, in spite of her limited knowledge on him.
“Before this, I didn’t know who Gregory Bovino by name, and that anonymity is part of how systems of violence operate,” Kalia said.
Bovino was born in San Bernardino County, California, before his family relocated to North Carolina, where he spent his childhood enamored with guns and wildlife. According to the Sunday Times, Bovino first got inspired to work in Border Patrol after watching the movie, “The Border” and being “pissed” about the criminality displayed in the movie.
He then started his Customs and Border Protection (CBP) career in the 1990s and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the head of CBP. However, after gaining recognition by President Trump, Bovino’s acts and methods have garnered scrutiny on social media, without many people knowing of his involvement.
According to The Guardian, some of Bovino’s controversial tactics include detaining young children after a midnight raid and leading the operations in Minneapolis which resulted in the death of Nicole Renee Good. Additionally, some social media users have compared photos of him to Nazi leaders.
“I don’t see those comparisons as careless or exaggerated. They’re not about claiming equivalence, but about recognizing patterns of authoritarianism, white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence,” Kalia said.
In a video posted by political social media account @NowThis Impact, Bovino is seen giving a salute that bears a striking resemblance to the Nazi salute, and references a social media post that suggests that his clothing of choice also bears a resemblance to Nazi uniforms.
But Bovino’s reputation doesn’t just come from aesthetics alone. It has also been influenced by his actions.
“Many have compared him to an SS commander, and not just because of his distinctive Nazi- trench coat uniform,” said Lydia Kelly, a senior producer at NowThis Impact. “He led the most violent of the ICE raids, getting into multiple legal battles about his tactics like using force against protesters, clergy and journalists in Chicago.”
Just as Bovino’s character and actions were beginning to become exposed, a drastic turn in his career took place when he was abruptly let go from his position as “Commander at Large.” Now, he is expected to return to his base in El Centro, California, according to The Atlantic.
Few details regarding his future endeavors are known at this time, yet his impact may leave a lasting stain on border patrol tactics and ICE raids.
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