Activists protest Greg Bovino’s return to El Centro

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - A group of activists from San Diego and El Centro convened in front of the El Centro Public Library Saturday to protest the homecoming of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Greg Bovino.

Bovino returns to his post in El Centro following his role as Commander at Large, where he led military-style immigration raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Louisiana, and Minnesota.

Bovino was relieved of his role as Commander at Large and sent back to El Centro to resume his role as Sector Chief.

In Minneapolis, Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation. Officials claimed she attempted to use her vehicle to harm agents. After the shooting, Bovino defended the agent.

On January 24, Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot and killed by immigration agents during a protest. Both Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Bovino claimed Pretti was dangerous, and said he posed a threat to the agent.

Organizer Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla, from Activist San Diego, said, "Right now, this administration seems to think that they can just demote Greg Bovino, forget about him and send him back to El Centro. We're here to say that we're not forgetting. Greg Bovino must be held accountable for his actions, for his role in the deaths of Alex Pretti, the death of Renee Good and many others."

Another community leader from San Diego, Yusef Miller, said the DHS' immigration policies have led to the deportation of military Veterans.

Last week, Godfrey Wade, a legal resident and U.S. Army Veteran, was deported to Jamaica. Wade had served time for writing a bad check many years ago, according to his attorney, Tony Kozycki.

"So, as black deported Veterans of America, we have people who have served in our military, served overseas, risked their life for this country, and still face deportation," Miller said.

Motiwalla also touched on ICE and CBP operations in neighboring San Diego County.

"So people in San Diego, in central San Diego are afraid to go for walks in the community because ICE is targeting people out there. Even though they're not kidnapping here, we know there's a lot of supporters out here. People did come from all over the county, all over the Southwest to join us," she said.