Gregory Bovino, the outspoken border official who ran aggressive immigration operations across U.S. cities under the Trump administration, is retiring from the U.S. Border Patrol, he told The New York Times. Bovino, who spent decades in the agency and became a national figure for his role in operations launched last summer in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New Orleans, will depart in the coming weeks. His brash style, including social media commentary, drew criticism from both political sides and fueled lawsuits alleging racial profiling.

The operations he oversaw, like a helicopter rappel in Chicago, became highly publicized. His departure followed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis. Bovino alleged Pretti intended to "massacre" agents, but an initial review by Border Patrol officials did not support his claims.

He left the region after the White House border czar, Tom Homan, took over the operation. The Times reported Bovino is under investigation by the CBP professional responsibility office over allegations he mocked a federal prosecutor's Jewish faith, though a DHS spokeswoman dismissed the report as gossip.