{"id":2584817,"date":"2026-03-28T06:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-go-after-one-of-their-own-bovino-loses-fight-at-mullin-moves-in\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T06:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:39:59","slug":"feds-go-after-one-of-their-own-bovino-loses-fight-at-mullin-moves-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-go-after-one-of-their-own-bovino-loses-fight-at-mullin-moves-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Feds go after one of their own: Bovino loses fight at Mullin moves in"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffeds-go-after-one-of-their-own-bovino-loses-fight-at-mullin-moves-in%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584817&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>&#8211; The trump administration moved too reclaim control of three Border Patrol <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sickening-video-shows-antifa-allegedly-stab-4-trump-supporters-in-washington-dc\/\" title=\"Sickening Video Shows Antifa Allegedly Stab 4 Trump Supporters in ... DC\">social media accounts<\/a> that had been used by retired El Centro sector Chief Gregory Bovino, who had renamed them to reflect his personal title and refused to return them to federal control.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X had a combined following of about 850,000, and were shuttered by CBP after Bovino\u2019s retirement. In response, the El Centro Sector created new accounts on each platform with a much smaller following (about 11,000).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Internal dynamics described in the report show Bovino resisting orders to revert the accounts, arguing that the followers were his and that he had earned them. CBS and DHS officials clashed over how to reclaim the accounts, with Corey Lewandowski allegedly protecting Bovino from action by CBP.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The federal government eventually reasserted control of the domains on the first full day of Secretary Markwayne Mullin\u2019s tenure, while Bovino continued to push his own narrative, including posting from Los Angeles during a Border Patrol operation and later renaming the accounts to emphasize his personal work.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Bovino\u2019s actions drew criticism from immigrant-rights groups and some conservatives, and his aggressive use of social media became a focal point of controversy within CBP\/DHS. He retired in late March after giving a long interview to the New York Times, during which his self-styled \u201ccommander-at-large\u201d status remained on the accounts for a short time before they were removed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The episode is framed as a signal that the federal government will not cede its public-relations power to a single official, and it highlights tensions within CBP and DHS over control of official messaging.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump administration locks out Greg Bovino from all social media accounts<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2489559\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash;&nbsp;<\/strong>The<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\"> Trump administration<\/a> has shut down three social media accounts that recently retired Border Patrol official<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4434302\/greg-bovino-relieved-minnesota-border-patrol-ice\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4434302\"> Gregory Bovino<\/a> renamed to his personal title and had refused to return despite them being federal property, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts that had a combined audience of 850,000 people, belonging to the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/border-patrol\">Border Patrol&rsquo;s<\/a>&nbsp;El Centro, California, region, were shuttered mid-Thursday after being up and running earlier in the day, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4505240\/glamour-shots-of-noem-and-phones-in-faraday-bags-mullin-takes-on-a-messy-dhs\/\">Glamour shots of Noem and phones in Faraday bags: Mullin takes on a messy DHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4506297\/trump-officials-stoke-concerns-ice-polling-centers-dhs-denials\/\">Trump officials stoke Democrats&rsquo; concerns of ICE at polling centers despite DHS denials&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4504703\/decrease-immigration-slow-population-growth-cities-most-impacted\/\">Decreased immigration leads to slowed population growth, with cities most impacted<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Chief Patrol Agent Bovino has retired from federal service and no longer has access to official government social media accounts,&rdquo; a CBP spokesperson wrote in an email to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Five people familiar with the showdown between Bovino and the federal government over this unusual issue spoke with the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>between January and March about the effort in Washington to take back the accounts from an employee who had gone rogue.<\/p>\n<p>The battle over the social media accounts comes as the era of former Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kristi-noem\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3710\">Kristi Noem<\/a> comes to a close, and it sends a message that the federal government will not cede its public relations power to a single man.<\/p>\n<p>A senior official within the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the department was responsible for retaking control of the domains and did so on the first full day that Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/markwayne-mullin\">Markwayne Mullin<\/a> took office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot: X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bovino-pops-up-on-the-scene\">Bovino pops up on the scene<\/h2>\n<p>Bovino was one of 20 chief patrol agents nationwide who oversaw operations in their respective regions.<\/p>\n<p>In his position, he was allowed to post pictures, videos, and text to the region&rsquo;s accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X &mdash; after senior officials at CBP headquarters approved of the post.<\/p>\n<p>The accounts are government property and under CBP&rsquo;s control.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2025, Bovino and a large group of Border Patrol agents from the El Centro Sector set out for Los Angeles. There, they collided with activists and rioters who were protesting and attempting to interfere with federal immigration operations being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP.<\/p>\n<p>Bovino began posting updates from Los Angeles, and news from El Centro faded from the accounts&rsquo; feeds, as he took his social media and video production team based in El Centro along for the extended trip.<\/p>\n<p>Bovino led agents through the streets of cities in rain, snow, and freezing temperatures. Unlike his agents, he did not wear a mask to conceal his identity from the public.<\/p>\n<p>He became known for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senior-administration-officials-spill-internal-reaction-to-noem-firing\/\" title=\"Senior administration ...s spill internal reaction to ... firing\">flashy social media videos<\/a> that highlighted his aggressive style of going after suspected illegal immigrants, bragging on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-young-working-class-trump-voting-women-side-with-will-smith\/\" title=\"Poll: Young, Working...class, Trump...voting Women Side with Will Smith\">social media afterward<\/a> about the work of his team.<\/p>\n<p>But it sent a different message to immigrant rights groups and immigration attorneys, and even some conservatives, who saw the escalation of the use of force between last July and January, as well as the glorification of it, as concerning.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bovino-won-t-back-down\">Bovino won&rsquo;t back down<\/h2>\n<p>One source familiar with the communications between Bovino, CBP, and DHS wrote in a text message that CBP Commissioner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4485075\/whistleblower-says-cbp-chief-targeted-senior-staff-political-vendettas\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4485075\">Rodney Scott<\/a> &ldquo;gave Bovino a direct order to return the pages\/accounts names to reflect El Centro Sector and that new accounts would be created&rdquo; for Bovino in his role overseeing Border Patrol&rsquo;s operation at large.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Bovino refused, arguing that the followers were his, he said he earned the followers and that his followers expected him to post from new cities,&rdquo; the same person said. &ldquo;It was all about Greg Bovino getting attention and nothing else.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 4, Bovino posted an announcement on X stating he would rename the accounts to focus on his personal work &mdash; an unprecedented move no other chief has made.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot: Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;When Bovino took those accounts, they told him not to,&rdquo; one official at DHS said in a phone call. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Those are my followers, so I&rsquo;m taking them with me.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/corey-lewandowski\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1184\">Corey Lewandowski<\/a>, the 2016 presidential campaign manager for Trump, who served under Noem as a special government employee, protected Bovino from CBP&rsquo;s efforts to reclaim its accounts, and Bovino refused to follow Scott&rsquo;s order.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Corey prevented the Commissioner from taking any action against Bovino, so that just empowered Bovino and his ego even more,&rdquo; the third official said. &ldquo;Ever wonder why [Border Patrol] put boats on the river in Chicago?&nbsp;Bovino was willing to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >make agents literal sitting ducks<\/a> just for the photo op.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-el-centro-creates-secondary-accounts\">El Centro creates secondary accounts<\/h2>\n<p>Unable to communicate about arrests and operations with the public, the El Centro Sector was permitted by CBP to create three new accounts on each platform and did so in early September.<\/p>\n<p>The new El Centro Sector accounts have a combined following of 11,000 users, compared to 850,000 followers under the accounts Bovino took from the government that was shuttered on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>One official said Bovino&rsquo;s decision to take over existing government accounts &ldquo;damaged&rdquo; the Border Patrol&rsquo;s ability to communicate to the public and media about operations in southeastern California.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, officials at CBP and DHS figured they could get the accounts back, even if that meant waiting out Bovino, who had the option to retire soon.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-feds-target-one-of-their-own\">The feds target one of their own<\/h2>\n<p>Bovino was sent packing from Minneapolis in January following the two fatal shootings of U.S. citizen activists, one by a CBP officer and another by an ICE employee. He returned to California before retiring in late March.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In Bovino&rsquo;s final few weeks on the job this month, officials at CBP walked on tiptoes trying to get Bovino to exit without any major drama, according to three officials. Bovino had other plans.<\/p>\n<p>He sat down with the <em>New York Times<\/em>, which <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/24\/us\/gregory-bovino-border-patrol.html\">published a lengthy story<\/a> from Bovino&rsquo;s perspective about his role leading Border Patrol operations through half a dozen &ldquo;sanctuary&rdquo; cities.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of the interview, Bovino&rsquo;s name and self-imposed title of commander-at-large still stood atop his trio of stolen social media accounts.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4504170\/cover-up-worse-than-the-crime-dc-stats\/\">THE COVER-UP IS WORSE THAN THE CRIME: ONE WOMAN&rsquo;S EXPERIENCE WITH D.C. PUBLIC SAFETY STATS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Days later, those pages and Bovino&rsquo;s documented legacy on each profile &ldquo;isn&rsquo;t available.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Bovino did not respond to a request for comment prior to retirement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exclusive: Trump blocks Bovino from all social accounts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2584818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26008609255769.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[76714,76715,76716,72188,73265],"class_list":["post-2584817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-federal-investigation-2","tag-government-affairs-2","tag-insider-politics","tag-leadership-change-2","tag-political-scandal-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26008609255769.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584817"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584821,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584817\/revisions\/2584821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}