Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino posted a video message in support of federal immigration officers after he and some of his agents left Minneapolis in the wake of a lethal shooting.
President Donald Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to address growing rioting and protests after Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal officers Saturday.
‘I’ve got your back, now and always — I love you, I support you, and I salute you.’
Bovino, who has been lauded for his “turn and burn” tactics by immigration hawks, issued a statement of love and support for his officers in the social media video.
“Team, behind me are a few individuals there,” said Bovino, referring to former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. “That’s the original turn and burn, the folks that helped make America.”
“But you know what? I’m very proud of what you, the mean green machine, are doing in Minneapolis right now, just like you’ve done it across the United States over these past tough nine months,” he added.
“And I want you to know that you’re the modern-day equivalent of turn and burn. It makes me very proud,” he concluded. “I also want you to know that I’ve got your back, now and always — I love you, I support you, and I salute you.”
Bovino coined the term “turn and burn” with his agents to describe mass deportations.
Homan has met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as well as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats, after arriving in the state. Both Frey and Walz have said their goal is to shut down all federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Homan addressed reporters from Minneapolis about making the immigration enforcement operation safer.
“I am not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly. The first thing I said to senior staff when I walked in here, is what I told you earlier: I didn’t come here for photo-ops or headlines. I come here looking for solutions,” he said.
“I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect,” he added. “Nothing’s ever perfect, and anything can be improved on. And what we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book. The mission is going to improve.”
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