Greg Bovino, a retired former commander‑at‑large of the U.S. Border Patrol, has resurfaced in public life in ways that have renewed concerns about converging far‑right networks in the United States and Europe. Last week he posted an image widely interpreted as a Nazi salute while publicly praising ICE agents, then traveled to Portugal to speak at a conference that promotes the concept of “remigration” — a deportationist, ethnonationalist idea linked to Europe’s Identitarian movement and the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.
The Photo And Public Reaction
Bovino accompanied his message of support for “ICE Agents at Delaney” — referring to the Newark, New Jersey facility where federal officers have clashed with protesters and journalists — with a cropped image that many observers read as a fascist salute. The photo was taken by AFP photographer Kamil Krzaczynski on October 28, 2025; the crop and timing prompted widespread criticism and renewed scrutiny of Bovino’s public persona and past appearances in SS‑style clothing that German outlets described as “Nazi attire.”
Trip To Portugal And The “Remigration” Summit
Before departing for Europe, Bovino gave an interview to a far‑right French outlet in which he praised German World War II general Erwin Rommel and described immigration as a “creeping horror.” In Portugal he appeared at a “Remigration Summit,” an event advocating the deportation or forced relocation of people deemed not part of a country’s majority population — a modern rebranding of ethnonationalist, exclusionary ideas with obvious historical resonances.
Who Attended And Why It Matters
Reporting, social media posts, and photos from the conference identify several far‑right figures, including Austrian Identitarian leader Martin Sellner and multiple members of Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Attendees included AfD politicians Lena Kotré, Kay Gottschalk and Sven Tritschler, each of whom has varying links or sympathies with the party’s more extreme elements. The presence of these figures highlights informal networks between European ethnonationalists and U.S. migration hardliners.
Trans‑Atlantic Connections
The event and subsequent social posts also underscored existing ties between MAGA‑aligned activists and the AfD. Examples include AfD Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier’s appearance at a New York Young Republicans event and exchanges with Stefano Forte of the New York Young Republicans. At the Portugal summit Bovino told AfD members he could advise on implementing ICE‑style enforcement and that he was "a phone call away," signaling an operational as well as ideological link.
Bovino’s Rhetoric And Influence
Since leaving formal Border Patrol leadership, Bovino has been an active online presence — making provocative posts, demanding mass deportations, and criticizing the Trump administration as having grown "soft." He has tweeted that "Mass deportations are the solution to perpetual victory!" and publicly aligned himself with remigration advocates. While Bovino no longer holds institutional power, his statements, social media reach, and personal contacts suggest he remains a node in a broader ecosystem pushing aggressive migration policies.
Why This Matters
The convergence of U.S. enforcement veterans, MAGA influencers, and European ethnonationalists matters for two reasons: first, it shows how ideas such as remigration and hardline enforcement travel and are operationalized across borders; second, it demonstrates that removing a single individual from office does not eliminate the networks and policies they helped normalize. Policymakers, journalists, and civil‑society organizations should monitor these trans‑Atlantic ties and the ways in which rhetoric translates into policy proposals.
Note: The photo Bovino posted was cropped from an AFP image taken by Kamil Krzaczynski on October 28, 2025. The original sequence shows Bovino making a series of hand gestures after leaving a federal courthouse; the chosen crop emphasizes a gesture that many observers interpreted as a fascist salute.
