Former CBP commander Gregory Bovino announces his retirement

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) official Gregory Bovino announced on Monday he will be retiring by the end of March. 

However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said to CALÓ News via email, “Chief Bovino has not submitted any retirement paperwork.”

Bovino, 55, was serving as the chief patrol agent of El Centro, California, a border sector with Mexico. He gained notoriety in mid-2025 when he was assigned to lead immigration raids in cities with a large Latino population like Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans and Minneapolis. 

Bovino’s announcement comes just two weeks after Trump removed former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and replaced her with Arkansas Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin. CBS News broke the news indicating that while Noem was in her position, she empowered Bovino and made him a direct report.

His last social media post on Instagram was Jan. 26, 2026, the same day he was relieved from his position as CBP commander-at-large and returned to El Centro.

Trump’s announcement via social media happened two days after border patrol agents killed U.S. citizen, activist and nurse Alex Pretty during a demonstration in Minneapolis. The backlash was gaining momentum because just two weeks before, on Jan. 7, immigration officers fatally shot Renee Good, another U.S. citizen and resident of the area in Minneapolis.

Bovino became widely known for his aggressive tactics to crack down on illegal immigration, his  movie-style videos uploaded to social media and his belief that he was saving Americans. 

In Los Angeles his team often targeted Home Depot parking lots where day laborers gathered. 

A video was filmed in the MacArthur Park area causing fear among the community when the agents arrived riding horses and sweeping the scene with more than a dozen military vehicles. No arrests were made at that time.