Demoted Border Official Faces Allegations of Mocking Jewish Faith
Gregory Bovino, a recently demoted border patrol official, has been accused of making mocking and sarcastic remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota's US attorney, Daniel Rosen, during a telephone conversation with state prosecutors earlier this month.
Details of the Controversial Phone Call
According to reports from the New York Times, the incident occurred on 12 January during a call where Bovino was attempting to push the Minnesota US attorney's office toward a more aggressive response against individuals he believed were obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts. Rosen, who observes the Jewish Sabbath known as Shabbat, had delegated the call to a deputy.
During the conversation, Bovino reportedly complained that Rosen had been difficult to reach over the weekend due to his religious observance of Shabbat, which runs from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The border official allegedly used the term "chosen people" in a sarcastic manner when referring to Rosen's faith, according to multiple sources familiar with the call.
Bovino's Recent Demotion and Transfer
The controversial remarks came just weeks before Bovino's demotion from his position as the agency's commander at large and subsequent transfer out of Minneapolis. The Trump administration announced the personnel change on Tuesday, with border chief Tom Homan taking charge of Minnesota immigration enforcement operations.
Homan acknowledged that "certain improvements could and should be made" in the state's immigration enforcement approach, though he provided no specific details about what changes he envisioned or whether Bovino's conduct played any role in the decision to reassign him.
Broader Context of Immigration Enforcement in Minnesota
Bovino, 55, has become one of the most visible figures in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown across the United States, having previously operated in Los Angeles, Chicago, and other Democratic-led cities before his assignment to Minneapolis. His tenure in Minnesota has been marked by controversy surrounding border patrol's use of force.
The demotion follows border patrol's fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, on 24 January. Pretti was filming immigration officials in Minneapolis when a confrontation led to border patrol agents shooting him to death. Bovino initially claimed Pretti intended to "massacre" federal agents, though the Trump administration later backtracked from characterizing the victim as "a domestic terrorist."
Witness videos contradicted official accounts, showing Pretti holding a phone rather than the handgun that the Department of Homeland Security claimed justified the shooting as self-defense. This incident occurred just seventeen days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis while she was driving away from a confrontation.
Response from Relevant Agencies
The Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and Rosen's Minnesota office have not provided immediate comment on the allegations regarding Bovino's remarks about the attorney's Jewish faith. The lack of official response leaves unanswered questions about whether Bovino's conduct violated any policies regarding religious discrimination or professional decorum.
Bovino's provocative approach to immigration enforcement and his controversial statements following the Pretti shooting had already drawn significant criticism before the latest allegations emerged regarding his remarks about Rosen's religious observance.
The incident raises broader questions about religious tolerance within federal law enforcement agencies and comes at a time when the Trump administration's immigration policies continue to generate heated debate across the political spectrum.
