Wearing combat gear and a helmet, a tear gas canister in hand and poised to hurl it at protesters, United States Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has become the most recognizable — and controversial — face of Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign since the president took office for a second term nearly a year ago.

Bovino’s profile has risen further in recent days as he has defended the federal government’s harsh and violent operations against immigrants in Minneapolis. Those operations culminated last Saturday in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretty by federal agents — the second civilian killed in the northern city in a matter of weeks. The shooting followed the earlier killing of Renee Goode, an American citizen and mother of three, who was shot in her car in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

The Trump administration was quick to accuse Pretty of attempting to harm immigration agents, claiming he was in possession of a handgun. However, video footage from the scene shows that Pretty never drew a weapon. The agents opened fire after first knocking him to the ground and then firing repeatedly.

Bovino not only defended the operation but claimed that it was the agents — not the dead nurse — who were the victims of the encounter. “The fact that they were highly trained prevented any specific shooting at security forces personnel, so kudos to the law enforcement agencies for taking him out before he could do it,” he told CNN on Sunday, adding: “It’s a shame that there were those consequences, but he chose to be involved in that crime scene. He did it knowingly.”

For Ohio State University immigration law professor César García Hernández, Bovino is the ideal figure to carry out Trump’s strategy of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. “He is turning the aggressive rhetoric we hear from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Trump, and other top officials into operational reality,” he told AFP.

“Turn and burn” tactics and bloody operations

In recent years, the 55-year-old veteran Border Patrol agent has led a series of high-profile raids against immigrants in major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. As he explains, he employs a “turn and burn” tactic: rapid entry, immediate arrests, and a swift departure before protesters can gather.

On January 7, during an operation in Minneapolis under his command, an agent allegedly acting in self-defense fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Goode, a mother of three, while she sat in her car. The incident sparked mass protests and a wave of national outrage.

Bovino also defended the detention of a five-year-old boy last week as agents attempted to arrest the child’s father, stating: “We are experts at handling children.”

At the same time, new video has surfaced showing Bovino throwing a chemical canister at a group of protesters in Minneapolis. “I’m going to throw gas. Back. Gas is coming,” he can be heard saying before hurling the tear gas, as green clouds of smoke engulfed the area.

Unlike many agents who wear masks during operations, Bovino does not shy away from publicity or controversy. When not dressed in military gear, he often wears a long green coat with wide lapels — a design popular during World War I and II — paired with a short military haircut, an image that has drawn fierce criticism.

“Greg Bovino literally dresses like he went on eBay and bought an SS uniform,” California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said last week. Bovino responded that the coat is a standard Border Patrol uniform he has owned for 25 years and accused Democratic officials of stoking social tension. “They’re trying to portray Border Patrol and ICE agents as Gestapo, Nazis, and more,” he told CNN, suggesting that Alex Pretty may have been influenced by such rhetoric. “Did this person fall victim to that inflammatory rhetoric?”

For García Hernández, the message conveyed by Bovino is unmistakable. “It leaves no room for misinterpretation that the Trump administration’s position is that there is no room for dissent in the United States — and that is particularly troubling.”

Personal journey and a Jack Nicholson inspiration

Bovino’s great-grandfather was an Italian immigrant who lived in the United States for 15 years before filing papers to become an American citizen in 1924 — the same year the Border Patrol was established and Italian immigration was sharply curtailed.

As the public face of Trump’s mass deportation campaign, Bovino has pledged to arrest “the worst of the worst” undocumented immigrants.

Those who knew him as a child recall his fascination with snakes and his knowledge of where poisonous species could be found. His desire to join the Border Patrol was sparked at age 11, after watching the 1982 film The Border, starring Jack Nicholson. He objected to the portrayal of agents as “bad guys.”

Bovino studied natural resource management at Western Carolina University and earned a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State University. In 2020, he was appointed chief of the Border Patrol in El Centro, California, one of the agency’s nine geographic regions. This year, in addition to Chicago, he has led deportation operations in cities including Sacramento, Charlotte, and New Orleans. As “Trump’s man” on this mission, he reports directly to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and holds the title of “commander on the move.”

At 55, he is just two years away from mandatory retirement. What comes next remains unknown.