Politics
WATCH: Leftist Protester Attacks CBP Commander Bovino
An anti-ICE protester assaulted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commander Greg Bovino during an operation in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Bovino was on hand to defend and support agents at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, on the edge of Minneapolis. The complex houses the regional ICE headquarters, an immigration court, and serves as a primary base for the ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities area.
Protesters have been present outside the Whipple Building throughout much of the day, with demonstrations starting early in the morning as part of planned “emergency nonviolent protests” in response to Wednesday’s fatal ICE-involved shooting. Protests did not stay “nonviolent,” however, as protesters clashed with agents on more than one occasion, leading to multiple arrests.
Agents were forced to deploy less-than-lethal crowd control munitions, including tear gas and rubber bullets, as agitators pushed police lines and hurled objects towards them. Others attempted to block vehicles as they entered or exited the facility.
Bovino was seen scanning police lines as he stared down protesters while inspecting the facility. The CBP commander has been on the ground for a number of the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement spikes in major cities and has assisted with defenses of multiple immigration facilities, including one in Broadview, Illinois after it had been assaulted for months.
He told reporters his focus was on “protecting federal facilities and making sure that order remains as it should.” Additional agents have been surged to the area to maintain enforcement momentum despite the protests.
🚨 NOW: Border Patrol Commander Bovino has arrived to support his men at the federal facility in Minneapolis
This man’s ALWAYS walking the walk.
God bless you, @CMDROpAtLargeCA pic.twitter.com/sN149Su7Ip
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 8, 2026
Despite ongoing protests and unrest throughout the Twin Cities region, immigration agents have continued to conduct operations throughout the day. The broader “largest operation ever” in the Twin Cities, involving up to 2,000 agents and tied to fraud investigations and immigration enforcement, has resulted in hundreds to over 1,500 cumulative arrests since early December.
Bovino accompanied agents while they made arrests throughout the day. At one point, a protester attempted to block Bovino as he walked back towards his vehicle.
After he told her, the protester grabbed his vest, at which point the CBP commander and a handful of agents wrestled her to the ground. The protestor’s comrades could be heard shouting “Nazis” while impotently blowing whistles as the arrest was made.
🚨 BREAKING: Border Patrol Commander Bovino was just ASSAULTED by leftists on the streets of Minneapolis
This is RIDICULOUS.
How many agents have to be assaulted before the INSURRECTION ACT is invoked?!
IT’S TIME! INVOKE THE INSURRECTION ACT! pic.twitter.com/Qnkjou2n7d
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 8, 2026
The surge of federal agents to Minneapolis began in early December 2025 but escalated significantly starting on January 4, when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a 30-day surge to the region. The operation focuses on arresting individuals with immigration violations, prior deportation orders, or criminal records, while also investigating large-scale fraud in state-administered welfare programs, particularly those involving child nutrition, housing, autism services.
Much of the fraud has been perpetrated by the state’s Somali community, prompting door-to-door enforcement operations in South Minneapolis.
“Our investigative agents are conducting a massive operation to identify, arrest, and remove criminals who are defrauding the American people. We will root out this rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota,” DHS posted on X when announcing the operation.
