The president's firing of Gregory Bovino and softening rhetoric are superficial changes for a heartless policy

[marmar]

Bovino is out of Minneapolis — but Trump isn’t backing down
The president's firing of Gregory Bovino and softening rhetoric are superficial changes for a heartless policy

By Jason Kyle Howard
Senior Ideas Editor
Published January 27, 2026 9:10AM (EST)


(Salon) Beyond the heinous fact of Alex Pretti’s killing on Saturday in Minneapolis, when at least 10 bullets were fired by Border Patrol officers at the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was caring for others at a peaceful protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, it was body language that stood out. The curve of his thin back as he tried to shield a woman before he was dragged away; the swagger of the federal agents who were soon to kill him. The officers’ gait was unmistakable: They moved with the assurance of impunity.

....(snip)....

In the wake of the compounding killings and violence against peaceful protesters, along with sadistic images of children being taken into custody — and, at least in the case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a preschooler who was seized in his driveway and shipped to a detention facility 1,300 miles away — reports are emerging that Donald Trump is, to paraphrase the Washington Post, softening his tone on the violence in Minnesota in the face of polls that show more Americans are souring on ICE.

....(snip)....

By Monday evening, it appeared the White House had realized they needed to take some measure of action. Reports emerged that Gregory Bovino had been relieved from his position as “commander at large” for Border Patrol and would return to his role as sector chief in El Centro, California, before quietly retiring. Bovino, the diminutive jackboot whose military cosplay and pugnacious rhetoric has attracted widespread attention, had been dispatched to the Twin Cities, along with up to 2,000 federal agents, in the wake of Renee Nicole Good’s fatal shooting on Jan. 7. The operation will now be helmed by border czar Tom Homan who will, Trump said on Truth Social, “report directly to me.”

The wording of the president’s post amounts to a humiliation for Noem, whose position seems to be precarious. More than anyone save White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, she has been responsible for ICE’s transformation over the past year into a domestic paramilitary force. The secretary, accompanied by her omnipresent chief adviser Corey Lewandowski, met for two hours at the White House with Trump about Homeland Security operations in the Twin Cities. According to the New York Times, the president did not indicate to Noem and Lewandowski that their jobs were on the line. But the meeting has done little to quell rumors that have existed at least since early December, when the Bulwark’s Adrian Carrasquillo reported that Trump was weighing whether to sack Noem. At the time, the White House derided the story as “FAKE NEWS.” On Monday, despite being publicly sidelined by Trump, Leavitt said that Noem continues to enjoy the president’s “utmost confidence and trust.” ..............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/27/bovino-is-out-of-minneapolis-but-trump-isnt-backing-down/

[Lovie777]

1. K & R..............

[SSJVegeta]

2. Every significant change starts with a superficial one

We will ultimately see the extent to which this goes. In the meantime, Dems should escalate their charm offensive on Trump: reaching out personally to shower him with niceness and diplomacy, and see what what we can get.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Of course. A leopard never changes its spots. /nt

[Deuxcents]

4. As I understand it, neither Renee Good or Mr Pretti were at a protest or demonstrating

Both were on side streets..Ms Good, navigating thru blocked cars on her way home from taking her child to school and MrPretti was directing traffic so others could get thru their street. Both were not interfering with the agents and were polite and not resisting. Both were shot at close range..murdered. I wish the media would report the facts, as we know them, correctly.

[exboyfil]

5. Sounds like he is retiring and not being fired

Firing means box your stuff up and don't let the door hit you.

Know that feeling. Had it in 2024.

[Autumn]

6. The only change being made is the face of cruelty, the evil will remain the same.

[kentuck]

7. Yep...

Just painting the horse a different color.

[kentuck]

8. He was not getting good reviews from the gun lobby....

He know they are one of the foundations for holding power.