Controversial Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino told his men “I’ve got your back, now and always” in his first public statement since being removed from leading immigration sweeps in Minneapolis that have led to the shooting deaths of two Americans.
“I love you, I support you, and I salute you,” Bovino said while standing in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota in video posted late Wednesday by right-wing influencer Nick Sortor.
The 55-year-old had been ordered out of the Twin Cities earlier this week, along with some of his men, following the Jan. 24 killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in a struggle with federal enforcement officials.
Bovino had initially claimed that Pretti, 37, had been brandishing a gun when he was shot — a contention contradicted by footage that showed Pretti had been disarmed of his Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol when the gunfire began.
The chief also spent the weekend after Pretti’s death calling him a “domestic terrorist” who was planning to “massacre” immigration officers, while blaming Democrats like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for “inciting” the chaos.
Bovino appeared defiant in Tuesday’s video, telling rank-and-file agents: “I’m very proud of what you, the Mean Green Machine, are doing in Minneapolis right now, just like you’ve done it across the United States over these past tough nine months … It makes me very proud.”