Border Patrol Chief locked out after refusing to | Political News

The Trump administration has reportedly deactivated three social media accounts owned by lately retired Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino after he declined to relinquish access to them.

Although the accounts are federal property, Bovino rebranded them under his own identify, according to the Washington Examiner. “Chief Patrol Agent Bovino has retired from federal service and no longer has access to official government social media accounts,” a CBP spokesperson confirmed to the publication.

Five sources with information of the dispute between Bovino and the federal authorities spoke to the outlet about Washington’s makes an attempt to reclaim control of the accounts from the official who had acted independently.

The confrontation over these accounts follows Kristi Noem’s departure as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. “It sends a message that the federal government will not cede its public relations power to a single man,” the publication famous.

A senior DHS official verified that the division was tasked with regaining control of the platforms and accomplished this motion on newly-appointed Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s first full day in workplace, reviews the Mirror US.

Bovino’s fall from grace

Bovino served as one of 20 chief patrol brokers across the nation, supervising operations within their designated sectors. His position permitted him to post photos, videos, and messages on the area’s Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms following approval from senior CBP headquarters officers.

These accounts are government-owned and managed by CBP. In July 2025, Bovino and a substantial contingent of Border Patrol brokers from the El Centro Sector arrived in Los Angeles.

In town, they confronted activists and demonstrators who have been protesting and making an attempt to disrupt federal immigration enforcement actions performed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP.

Bovino posted updates from Los Angeles and news from El Centro through the accounts, bringing along his El Centro-based social media and video manufacturing group for the extended deployment. He gained recognition for attention-grabbing social media content showcasing his forceful strategy to apprehending undocumented immigrants, often boasting about these operations online afterwards.

Yet, this strategy conveyed a troubling message to immigrant rights organizations and immigration legal professionals, who noticed the intensification of drive between July and January, alienating even some conservative observers.

A source with information of the dispute between Bovino, CBP, and DHS revealed in a textual content message that CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott “gave Bovino a direct order to return the pages/accounts names to reflect El Centro Sector and that new accounts would be created” for Bovino in his capability overseeing Border Patrol’s broader operations.

“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,” the source added. “It was all about Greg Bovino getting attention and nothing else.”

On August 4, Bovino announced on X his intention to rebrand the accounts to spotlight his personal work. “When Bovino took those accounts, they told him not to,” a DHS official told the outlet. “He said, ‘Those are my followers, so I’m taking them with me.'”

Bovino was eliminated from his Minneapolis post in the wake of the deadly shootings of two U.S. residents — one by a CBP officer and another by an ICE agent. He subsequently returned to California, where he retired in late March.