Gregory Bovino has been removed from his role as the “commander at large” for the US Border Patrol and will return to his former job in California, where he is expected to retire soon, The Atlantic reported on Monday, citing a Homeland Security official and two people with knowledge of the change.
The US DHS, Customs and Border Protection and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier on Monday US president Donald Trump and Minnesota governor Tim Walz each struck a conciliatory tone after a private phone call about immigration enforcement, a sign the two sides were seeking a way to end their standoff over a deportation drive that has claimed the lives of two US citizens in Minneapolis.
Mr Bovino has become the public face of Mr Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign.
He sparked outrage by claiming Alex Pretti had sparked the incident in which he was fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Surprise comments on social media by Mr Trump after what he described as a “very good call” with Minnesota governor Tim Walz could indicate a de-escalation of his immigration crackdown in the state.
Mr Walz and other Democratic leaders have fiercely opposed the immigration surge, which they characterize as a lawless invasion that puts public safety at risk. Mr Trump, for his part, has spent the past month accusing Mr Walz of incompetence for failing to stop a welfare-fraud scandal in the state.
Mr Walz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr Trump earlier said he would dispatch the White House border czar, Tom Homan, to work with local officials following Saturday’s shooting of a 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, by immigration agents during a confrontation with protesters in Minneapolis.
While other top Trump officials have characterised Mr Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” Mr Homan has not publicly spoken about the incident.
In a statement, Mr Trump said Mr Homan “has not been involved” in the Minnesota crackdown “but knows and likes many of the people there”.
Mr Trump’s statements came as state officials pressed a US judge to temporarily stop the surge of 3,000 immigration agents.
“This administration, your honour, is not content with the rule of law. They are not content with letting the courts work this stuff out. Instead, they put violence into the streets of Minnesota to get what they want,” Brian Carter, a lawyer with the state attorney general’s office, told US judge Katherine Menendez.