Gregory Kent Bovino (born March 27, 1970) is a United States Border Patrol officer who served as commander-at-large of the Border Patrol from October 2025 to January 2026. He joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and rose through a series of sector leadership roles before taking a prominent public-facing part in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. He retired from the agency in March 2026.
Early career
Bovino graduated from Western Carolina University and earned a master's degree from Appalachian State University. He joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and was assigned to El Paso, Texas. He later served in Yuma, Arizona, and Blythe, California, before becoming chief of the sectors in New Orleans and El Centro, California. Under the Biden administration, an operation he led in Kern County, known as Operation Return to Sender, was later ruled illegal by a federal judge.
Role in immigration operations
During Donald Trump's second presidency, Bovino was named tactical commander of a mass raid in Los Angeles in June 2025 that led to protests. He then commanded Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago and drew criticism for his social media presence and his use of tear gas against protesters, which a judge said may have violated a court order. In December 2025 he led Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, but he was removed from the operation after the killing of Alex Pretti in January 2026.