Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis, warned Tuesday on Newsmax that people he called "agitators" trying to disrupt ICE arrests are escalating the risk of serious injury or death not only for themselves but for federal agents, saying "someone is going to get hurt" if confrontations continue.
On "Finnerty," Bovino argued that federal officers are increasingly being targeted during enforcement actions and that "agitators" are interfering with ICE operations.
"That always concerns us," Bovino said when asked about the possibility of an agent being killed, citing what he described as a recent incident in which an ICE agent was nearly run over in Minneapolis.
Bovino said violence is being "directed towards federal agents, including ICE and Border Patrol," and said agitators are "actively coming out trying to stop operations."
He said the risk extends beyond law enforcement, warning that if tensions persist, "someone is going to get hurt," adding that "we are going to come home at the end of the shift."
Bovino also tied the confrontations to political rhetoric, saying people "fall victim" to the language of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Gov. Tim Walz, and said warnings about what he called dangerous rhetoric have been echoed by President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The remarks came as federal authorities expanded their immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities.
Department of Homeland Security officials told CBS News on Tuesday that there were now 800 Customs and Border Protection agents in the Minneapolis area, in addition to 2,000 ICE and other federal agents already in the state, describing it as the "largest DHS operation in history."
Protests have flared repeatedly since the fatal shooting of Renee Good during an ICE operation in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice said it did not see grounds to open a criminal civil rights investigation into Good's killing, even as an FBI inquiry continues, according to The Associated Press.
Roughly half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned, and several supervisors in the Civil Rights Division's criminal section in Washington gave notice of their departures amid turmoil tied to the case.
Bovino argued that the enforcement effort is focused on dangerous offenders and questioned why demonstrators would protest arrests.
He said that on Tuesday, federal officers arrested "several convicted felons," describing them as offenders with records that included assault, domestic battery, and terroristic threats, and said those arrested came from countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Thailand, and Zambia.
"So why in the world would someone think it is OK that these individuals are allowed" in the U.S., he said.
"These illegal aliens are allowed to walk the streets of America. It's a conundrum.
"I can only think that they're listening to that crazy talk from some of those elected representatives and influencers."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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