Former Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino warned this week that officials who strongly support aggressive immigration enforcement and mass deportations are increasingly being removed from positions inside President Donald Trump’s administration.
Bovino made the remarks during an interview with Megyn Kelly following the resignation of former Border Patrol official Mike Banks, who recently stepped down amid allegations related to sex tourism.
Banks announced his departure in comments to Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, saying he believed the border situation had dramatically improved under the Trump administration.
“It’s just time,” Banks said. “I feel like I got the ship back on course. From the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen.”
He added that after 37 years, he was ready to spend more time with family.
During Kelly’s interview, Bovino said he had spoken with Banks shortly before appearing on the show and described him as gracious despite the controversy surrounding his resignation.
But Bovino quickly pivoted toward a broader complaint about what he sees as a pattern inside the Department of Homeland Security.
“What I will say is that Chief Banks and I are both mass deportations people,” Bovino said, also naming former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and political adviser Corey Lewandowski as part of the same group.
“We’re all no longer employed by Department on Homeland Security. What does that tell you?” Bovino asked.
Bovino himself was reportedly reassigned to California following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Earlier this year, The Atlantic reported that sources expected Bovino to retire soon.
The former Border Patrol official insisted neither he nor Banks were political operatives, but argued that immigration enforcement has become deeply entangled with Washington power struggles.
“When we talk about politicians and politics, none of us were politicians or engaged in politics,” Bovino said. “But that’s a very dirty business, a very tough business.”
Bovino embraced the label of “immigration hardliner,” saying he wore the description “with great pride.” He praised Banks as “a fantastic immigration hardliner” and argued that critics were unfairly targeting officials who support tougher deportation policies.
According to Bovino, allegations involving Banks were part of a broader effort to sideline aggressive immigration advocates within the administration.
“All of a sudden, they pull a rabbit out of their hat,” Bovino said. “These individuals, you know, oh, my gracious, they’re the worst thing since sliced bread.”
Bovino further claimed that allegations related to prostitution had previously been investigated years earlier and that Banks had been cleared. However, Mediaite reported it could not locate any publicly available documentation confirming that such an investigation occurred or that Banks had officially been cleared.
Kelly responded by noting that the allegations surfaced in the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner shortly before Banks resigned, suggesting the timing was significant.
“There’s a reason that that wound up in a conservative newspaper,” Kelly said.
Bovino strongly agreed, arguing the developments were not accidental.
“This stuff doesn’t happen just by chance,” he said.
He also warned that what he called “swamp creatures” still remain inside Washington and federal agencies, despite Trump’s long-running promises to clean out entrenched bureaucracy.
“There’s a lot of snakes, a lot of swamp creatures still out there,” Bovino said. “Before we go mass deportations, and before we return to hardline immigration, those snakes need leave.”
The exchange highlighted growing tensions inside conservative circles over immigration enforcement and internal administration politics, particularly as some Trump allies push for more aggressive deportation policies while others warn that political infighting and scandal-driven battles may be undermining broader policy goals. At the same time, the increasingly heated rhetoric surrounding immigration continues to reflect how deeply the issue has become tied to larger national struggles over security, sovereignty, and the direction of federal power.
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