Former CBP Chief Under Investigation Over Actions in Minnesota
Local authorities in Minnesota are investigating former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and other federal agents for potentially breaking the law during Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area.
Mary Moriarty, Hennepin County Prosecutor announcement At a news conference Monday, his office was already investigating 17 cases of “potential illegal behavior” and asked local residents to submit any potential evidence of federal agents committing illegal activity through a online form to the new transparency and accountability project. Minneapolis is the seat of Hennepin County, where Border Patrol and ICE agents have focused much of their activity.
Citizens will be able to upload video and audio evidence of agents breaking the law, and they will be able to send descriptions if they have seen something illegal from ICE and Border Patrol, Moriarty said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“I want to be clear with our community about the challenges these investigations involve, as the federal government has refused to provide us with information about the actions of its agents in Minnesota,” Moriarty said.
One of the 17 cases under investigation involves Bovino throwing a gas canister into a park full of residents in south Minneapolis on Jan. 21. The incident occurred just two weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed, and three days before Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents. Another incident under investigation involves Border Patrol agents confronting protesters outside Roosevelt High School. January 7also in south Minneapolis.
“There are many victims whose stories need to be told,” Moriarty said. “We will investigate and pursue charges where appropriate.”
The Trump administration effectively made Bovino its scapegoat for the horror in Minneapolis, reassignment to his former office in California (and perhaps subsequently retired) after massive protests in the city. But he has largely escaped criminal charges, even for previous misdeeds in Chicago.
That could change soon. Having a local jurisdiction take steps to investigate and even charge ICE and Border Patrol agents for illegal actions in connection with the Trump administration’s mass deportation program is a big step forward. These agents have rarely been held accountable and have actually been shielded from prosecution, as White House officials such as Stephen Miller have gone so far as to claim that they benefit from “federal immunity”. Hennepin County is about to test this, and if it succeeds, it could inspire other localities.
