Greg Bovino, who as U.S. Border Patrol commander at large, oversaw the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts in several cities, said his only regret as his retirement nears at month's end is that he didn't catch more illegal aliens.
"I wish I'd caught even more illegal aliens," Bovino told The New York Times in an interview published Tuesday. "I mean, we went as hard as we could, but there's always a creative and innovative solution to catching even more."
Bovino spent most of his 30-year career in California's El Centro sector before being tapped by the Trump administration to lead Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.
But the fatal shootings of two protesters in January following encounters with federal immigration officers prompted President Donald Trump to replace Bovino with border czar Tom Homan.
Still, Bovino praised Trump and said he received "a lot of kudos from the Trumpster." He said he felt he had been hampered by bureaucrats who limited his "turn and burn" tactics — high-speed operations meant to be completed before protesters could descend on federal officers.
Bovino said he has a few regrets but does not think he went too far. In fact, he said he didn't go far enough.
"We wanted total border domination," Bovino said. "When you use terms like that, perhaps it scares some of the weaker-minded people."
"Domination. I want you to dominate that border."
"I'm not going to 'control' it. We're going to dominate the hell out of that damn place," he added.
The administration's public stance on immigration has shifted since Bovino's demotion.
Kristi Noem, whom Bovino called the "best secretary I've ever worked for, bar none," was removed from her role as Homeland Security secretary.
Former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin was confirmed Monday as Noem's replacement and made clear at his confirmation hearing that he would take a softer approach.
As he looked back on the past year, Bovino called Trump the most effective president he had ever served under.
As for retirement, Bovino said he is planning a new campaign in the North Carolina backcountry to hunt a "non-native invasive species": the coyote. He clarified that he meant the four-legged kind, "not the coyotes that smuggle aliens," but the mission still felt familiar.
"Maybe I get me some dogs, and we go hard on the coyotes," he said, explaining they were killing local timber rattlesnakes. "I'll take it in my own hands."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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