One of the sources said Bovino was relieved of his command in Minneapolis and is expected to return to California‘s El Centro sector, where he served as the chief agent before the Trump administration deployed him to major American cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago.

The development follows intense backlash over how top federal officials, including Bovino, responded to the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Bovino, citing no evidence, suggested over the weekend Pretti intended to „massacre“ federal agents.

Several other Border Patrol agents are expected to leave with Mr. Bovino.

Mr. Bovino’s operations in major American cities across the country have sparked lawsuits and protests. Mr. Bovino, a sector chief in one part of the California border, first became a fixture after he led immigration operations following protests in Los Angeles in June. Since then, he has been deployed to Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Minneapolis.

As of this weekend, there were more than 1,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agents in the city. That’s along with a force of up to 2,000 from ICE.