Former border patrol chief calls Minneapolis withdrawal a surrender

The former United States border patrol chief Greg Bovino defended the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis during an interview with the BBC, describing the withdrawal of federal agents as a surrender by the Trump administration. Bovino, 56, served as the public face of the operation earlier this year before being removed from his role. [1][8]

The removal of Bovino followed the fatal shootings of United States citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the operation. Bovino told the BBC he was not responding to a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman shot dead, saying that people bring legal action all the time. [1]

The enforcement action in Minneapolis was part of Operation Metro Surge, an initiative by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Starting in December 2025, the operation targeted the Twin Cities before expanding across Minnesota in what the Department of Homeland Security called the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out. [1][9]

In separate legal proceedings involving the same news outlet, NPR, The New York Times, and thejournal.ie report that a judge has ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his ten billion dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC. According to thejournal.ie, Trump risks sanctions, including the dismissal of his lawsuit, if he fails to attend the deposition. [2][3][4][5][6]