**Border Patrol Leader Gregory Bovino Allegedly Made Antisemitic Remarks During Federal Coordination Call**
Gregory Bovino, the controversial Border Patrol leader who helped oversee the immigration surge in Minnesota, allegedly used language offensive to Jewish federal officials during a recent call, multiple sources familiar with the conversation told CBS News.
The call took place on January 12, five days after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis. It involved multiple federal officials coordinating a Saturday meeting to discuss the massive deployment of federal immigration agents in the area.
During the call, Bovino was informed that Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, an Orthodox Jew, could not attend the Saturday meeting due to observing the Sabbath. Sources familiar with the planning call said Bovino responded with audible frustration at Rosen’s unavailability.
One source recounted Bovino’s alleged remark: “Do Orthodox criminals also take off on Saturday?” The same source added that Bovino also used the phrase “chosen people” in a disparaging manner. Another individual briefed on the conversation described Bovino’s comments as an “antisemitic rant.”
The New York Times was the first to report Bovino’s alleged comments. Reports of his conduct on the call were relayed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and others within the Department of Justice, as well as the White House, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Department of Homeland Security, White House, and Department of Justice have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Bovino’s remarks have contributed to growing unease between federal immigration officials and certain Minnesota-based federal prosecutors. ICE and Border Patrol officers have been conducting a widening surge of raids and arrests, which has sparked protests with thousands taking to the streets, sources told CBS News.
Concerns about Bovino’s sometimes brusque manner had arisen previously. The former Border Patrol “commander-at-large” clashed with a federal judge in Chicago during deportation operations there last October. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who issued an injunction limiting the use of force by federal immigration agents in Chicago, criticized Bovino’s “cute” responses regarding clashes between agents and protesters.
In her opinion, Judge Ellis wrote, “Bovino appeared evasive over the three days of his deposition, either providing ‘cute’ responses to the Plaintiffs’ counsel’s questions or outright lying.” Although an appeals court paused Ellis’ injunction in November, the criticism highlighted ongoing concerns about Bovino’s conduct.
Earlier this week, Bovino was reassigned and relieved of his command in Minneapolis following intense backlash over how top U.S. officials, including Bovino, responded to the January 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
On the day of the shooting, Bovino characterized Pretti as someone who “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” referring to the fact that Pretti was armed with a handgun. However, some of Bovino’s claims were soon contradicted by witnesses and video footage from the scene. Within days, the government submitted a report to Congress that made no mention of Pretti reaching for his firearm during the altercation with CBP agents.
Bovino is being reassigned to his previous position as chief agent at California’s El Centro sector. Before the Trump administration deployed him to major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago to lead immigration roundups, he served prominently in this role.
These alleged antisemitic comments from Bovino come at a time when the Trump administration has emphasized countering antisemitism as one of its primary policy goals. Since last year, the Justice Department and Department of Education have launched dozens of civil rights investigations into whether college campuses adequately protected Jewish students during protests related to the 2023 Gaza war.
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*This article will be updated as more information becomes available.*
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gregory-bovino-minnesota-language-offensive-to-jews-sources/