Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino — nicknaming him "Gestapo Greg" — after Bovino defended the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Bovino told CNN that Pretti was "impeding and assaulting" officers, while CNN anchor Dana Bash countered that Pretti was filming, which is legal. Newsom criticized the decision to keep the agents on duty and used the incident to highlight what he called increasingly authoritarian immigration-enforcement tactics.
Newsom Labels Border Patrol Commander 'Gestapo Greg' After Defense Of Fatal Minneapolis Shooting
Fabrice Coffrini/Jerry Holt/Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday sharply criticized Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, dubbing him "Gestapo Greg" after Bovino defended the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Gavin Newsom also slammed Greg Bovino’s assertion that the “victims” in the situation were the Border Patrol agents, writing,
On Sunday, Bovino told CNN that Pretti was "impeding and assaulting" law enforcement when multiple masked federal agents shot him dead on a Minneapolis street.
Newsom responded to a clip of Bovino on CNN. / Governor Newsom Press Office/X
During the interview, anchor Dana Bash pushed back, saying, "He wasn’t impeding it, he was filming it, which is a legal thing to do in the United States of America." Bovino maintained his account and told Bash that "de-escalation techniques" had failed in the encounter.
Bovino stands flanked by fellow federal agents during a protest against ICE outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / OCTAVIO JONES / Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Newsom's Response
Newsom's office posted on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
"Gestapo Greg says filming ICE agents with your cell phone is assault and justifies them shooting you in cold blood."The governor also condemned Bovino's suggestion that the Border Patrol agents were the "victims" and that Pretti had "put himself in that situation," calling the statements "disgusting."
Adolf Hitler stands beside Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo, to observe a parade of Nazi Stormtroopers in 1940. / Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Bovino told CNN that the agents involved remain on duty and have not been placed on administrative leave — a decision Newsom called "absolutely unacceptable," adding, "They shot an American in cold blood!"
Context And Broader Criticism
The episode intensified scrutiny of Bovino, who has been photographed wearing a long, black trench coat that critics say evokes Nazi imagery. Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, Newsom said Bovino looked as if he had "literally went on eBay and purchased SS garb," according to The Hill.
Newsom also linked aggressive tactics in recent federal deportation operations in Minneapolis — where an ICE agent killed Renee Good just over two weeks earlier — to broader concerns about authoritarian practices. At Davos he described scenes he attributed to the operation: "People disappearing, literally no due process. Windows being smashed. Seat belts being literally just cut off. People dragged in the streets, kids, separated from families, knocking on doors, racially profiling American citizens."
In October, after the Department of Homeland Security posted a promotional video featuring Bovino in his black trench coat, Newsom accused the Trump administration of embracing "fascism and authoritarianism." He wrote then: "If you think the calls of fascism and authoritarianism are hyperbole pause and watch this video. They aren’t even trying to hide who they are."
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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