Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her close confidante are said to be on the outs as another top Trump official was dethroned on Monday.
Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino was reportedly removed from his role in an extraordinary development, according to a new report from The Atlantic.
A Department of Homeland Security official and two others with knowledge of the demotion who spoke to the magazine said that Bovino is set to return to his former role as Border Patrol sector chief in El Centro, California. Sources also told the Atlantic that he is expected to retire soon.
DHS denied the reports, directing the Daily Beast to an X post by Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin when asked for comment.
“Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties. As @PressSec stated from the White House podium, @CMDROpAtLargeCA is a key part of the President’s team and a great American,” McLaughlin wrote.
The Atlantic’s reporting does not claim that Bovino has been relieved of his duties. Instead, it claims that with border czar Tom Homan moving into Minneapolis—as confirmed by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier Monday—Bovino will be resuming his prior role.
The New York Times and CNN have also reported that Bovino will be leaving Minneapolis, and will be joined by some of his agents. The conservative Washington Examiner cites six federal sources who confirm the Atlantic’s reporting, noting that Bovino will be resuming his prior role effective Tuesday. Bovino has also lost access to his social media accounts, a source told CNN.
Bovino’s demotion comes in the face of increasing anti-ICE sentiment and protests in the state following the killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of ICE officers in Minneapolis this month.
In addition to Bovino’s demotion, the Atlantic spoke to people with knowledge of the change who have said that Noem and her close adviser Corey Lewandowski are also at risk of being ousted.
Lewandowski, who sources say was responsible for the decision to increase the role of Bovino and Border Patrol on the ground, has become one of the most influential figures within the department, quickly emerging as Noem’s second-in-command despite technically being classified as an unpaid special government employee who can only work 130 days in a calendar year.
Insiders, including one administration official, have described the extramarital relationship between Noem and Lewandowski as the “worst-kept secret” in D.C. Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied the rumors.
Sources who spoke to the Daily Beast on Monday said that both Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles and his immigration policy lead Stephen Miller have both turned against Noem, with Miller reportedly furious that Noem’s “turn and burn” tactics have become the focal point of the administration’s immigration crackdown.
DHS did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on Noem and Lewandowski’s future with the department.
Subsequent calls for Noem’s demotion soon spread. Democrats were quick to welcome news of Bovino’s demotion and use it to argue for further firings, with DNC Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin releasing a statement that read, “Greg Bovino’s firing should be the first, not the last. An American citizen was murdered this weekend at the hands of federal agents. Donald Trump can hide away at movie screenings of ‘Melania,’ but the American people know he’s behind this campaign of terror and violence.”
“And they won’t forget that in the immediate wake of a tragic murder, Trump, JD Vance and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem took to the airwaves to slander the victim and spread lies. Trump and Vance should immediately fire Noem, Stephen Miller, and Corey Lewandowski — or else they are sending a clear message to voters that getting murdered for exercising your constitutional rights is acceptable in Trump’s America.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed a similar sentiment in a Monday night X post, writing, “Long past time. Everyone involved with this reign of terror — including Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller — needs to be fired immediately.”
In another post, Newsom wrote, “Gestapo Greg is out. Keep the pressure up. It’s working.”
