Internal Clash Over Immigration Tactics Preceded Fatal Border Patrol Shootings
WASHINGTON — Months before Border Patrol agents were involved in two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, the official then overseeing the agency's enforcement operations openly resisted internal directives to adopt more restrained tactics, according to internal correspondence obtained by NBC News.
The emails center on a September operation in Chicago. Gregory Bovino, who was removed from his post last week, advocated for large-scale immigration sweeps. He was countered by then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who insisted the focus remain on "targeted operations"—arresting only individuals pre-identified by federal agents for immigration or criminal violations.
"Mr. Lyons seemed intent that CBP conduct targeted operations for at least two weeks before transitioning to full scale immigration enforcement," Bovino wrote in a frustrated email to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership, referring to Customs and Border Protection. "I declined his suggestion. We ended the conversation shortly thereafter."
According to a source familiar with the discussions, DHS leadership ultimately granted Bovino leeway after an initial 10-day period. The subsequent escalation of the operation, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," led to approximately 1,600 arrests, sparked widespread protests in Chicago, and involved officers shooting two individuals.
The correspondence underscores the persistent tension within the Trump administration's homeland security apparatus, caught between a political agenda promoting aggressive enforcement and career officials urging more measured, legally-defensible tactics. Bovino's approach, which included sweeping up individuals based on location rather than specific prior intelligence, has faced intense scrutiny. It prompted a lawsuit regarding the Chicago arrests and culminated in his reassignment following the Minneapolis shootings, which claimed the lives of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti and mother of three Renee Good.
In his email, Bovino aligned himself with Corey Lewandowski, a senior aide to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, stating, "I report to Corey Lewandowski." This claim appears at odds with the public stance of Noem and other senior officials like "border czar" Tom Homan and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, who have publicly advocated for a targeted enforcement model.
The revelations contradict public assurances from Secretary Noem. "In every situation, we're doing targeted enforcement," she stated at a White House briefing in January.
Following the Minneapolis incidents, President Trump reassigned Bovino back to his prior role as sector chief in El Centro, California, and dispatched Tom Homan to oversee the response. Spokespersons for ICE, DHS, and CBP declined to comment.
Reaction & Analysis
Michael Rodriguez, Policy Analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies: "This isn't about paperwork; it's about public safety. Bovino was following the administration's mandate to enforce the law robustly. Handcuffing agents with excessive 'targeting' requirements only creates sanctuaries for violators and endangers communities."
Elena Marquez, Civil Rights Attorney: "These emails are a smoking gun. They reveal a conscious choice to abandon precision for dragnet tactics that terrorize communities and inevitably lead to tragedy. Bovino's removal is a minimal first step; there must be accountability for the policies that led to two needless deaths."
David Chen, Former ICE Field Office Director: "The internal debate between 'targeted' and 'sweep' operations is perennial. However, the Chicago model—starting focused before potentially expanding—is a standard risk-mitigation practice. Bovino's outright rejection of that phased approach was unusually confrontational and bypassed standard chain-of-command protocols."
Sarah Johnson, Minneapolis Community Organizer: "We're supposed to be relieved that the man in charge is gone? This is a systemic failure. They traded our neighbors' lives for political theater. Until the policy of fear-based enforcement changes, swapping out personnel is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."