Supporters of Gregory K. Bovino - who has been trolling the Trump Administration on social media since he left the US Border Patrol - have begun an effort to draft him for a 2028 run for President. Bovino has signaled his openness to that to reporters for both NewsNation and The Daily Beast, and has since further explained his thinking in post on x.com.
Bovino led large-scale urban immigration enforcement operations that sparked protests in both Los Angeles and Chicago beginning in mid-2025. By the time he rolled into Minneapolis in December of that year for “Operation Metro Surge” (and the protests it generated there), he had been named “Commander-at-Large” of the Border Patrol tactical operations.
In January 2027, federal agents assigned to “Operation Metro Surge” shot and killed U.S. citizens Renée Good & Alex Pretti. Their deaths caused overall public approval of the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement operations to plummet, with polling showing nearly two-thirds of Americans felt U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had "gone too far."
They also showed President Trump with the highest disapproval ratings since just after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
.jpg){kind=link}
Two days after Pretti’s killing, Bovino returned to the El Centro, California, Border Patrol Sector, where he had previously served as Chief, and retired from the agency two months later, ending nearly 30 years of service.
Markwayne Mullin, who has taken over as head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since Bovino left, has expressed a desire to conduct immigration enforcement in a “more quiet way,” which Bovino objects to (which brings us to the movement to draft him to run for president).
The effort was first reported by The Daily Beast on Thursday, June 4, 2026. The publication described the group behind the “Draft Bovino” campaign as “political outcasts from MAGA’s far right.”
They launched a website whose copyright describes it as a “grassroots effort formed by Americans starving for true American sovereignty not affiliated with any candidate or candidates (sic) committee. Purely a volunteer effort hoping to draft Bovino for President in 2028.”
The Daily Beast published the following statement from Bovino, which they characterized as “a thinly veiled jab at Donald Trump, whom he has accused of backing away from aggressive immigration enforcement”:
“If I were President, I’d lead that [deportation] effort from the front and be on the front lines from time to time.” - Gregory K. Bovino
On Monday, June 8, 2026, NewsNation reported that Bovino told the cable news outlet “that his possible White House run is exploratory” and a formal campaign would happen “if it all comes together.”
He has since posted a lengthy statement on x.com:
“My one and only priority is deporting the 106 million illegals who are here. That’s it.
The grassroots support I’m seeing tells me the polls are completely wrong…
If I’m getting this much energy, it’s probably because 90% of the country wants mass deportations and the media just isn’t asking the right questions.
My commitment is simple, liberate America from this invasion and restore our quality of life.
If running for President is what it takes to actually get it done, then all options are on the table.” - Gregory K. Bovino
And, while it is too early to guess who might also throw their hats in the ring for the 2028 Presidential election, Bovinio is sparring online with members of the Trump Administration like DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin:
In addition to trolling DHS Secretary Mullin, he is also taking on White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for not shutting down protests that have been occurring outside a New Jersey immigration detention center since late May:
Meanwhile, Bovino is traveling like he’s already on the campaign trail. He recently returned from Europe, where he headlined an international "Remigration Summit" in Portugal. At the event, he spoke to European and American far-right activists to advocate for mass deportations and to express alignment between U.S. and European right-wing movements.
What are your thoughts about the campaign to draft Bovino as a 2028 candidate for US President?
Share your opinion in a comment to this story!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Click the button above to add US Border News as a preferred source in your Google News Feed. Thanks for reading!
words