Up First from NPR
Bovino Out Of Minnesota, Trump Refocusing On Economy, Social Media On Trial
27 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Gregory Bovino, one of the few immigration agents who showed his face, is leaving Minnesota.
Chapter 2: What happened to Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino in Minnesota?
His departure comes as the Trump administration faces outrage over two fatal shootings by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
I'm Steve Inskeep with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump visits Iowa today trying to shift focus to the economy as members of his own party question his immigration crackdown.
Nobody likes feds coming into their state.
Chapter 3: How is President Trump shifting focus to the economy in Iowa?
And so what's the goal right now?
That's the governor of Oklahoma. More Republicans are pressing for an investigation.
And social media is on trial today.
Chapter 4: What controversies surround Trump's immigration policies?
A case in Los Angeles examines if tech companies knowingly built apps that harm kids.
Chapter 5: What is the significance of the social media trial beginning in Los Angeles?
The outcome could change how apps are made. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day. The Trump administration has, at least for now, made some changes to its mass deportation campaign in Minnesota.
The administration has removed Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official who was the public face of the immigration operation.
Chapter 6: How did the departure of Bovino impact immigration enforcement in Minnesota?
Bovino will return to a previous job in California, and Border Czar Tom Holman will replace him. The administration has also stopped repeating its false narrative about a shooting without actually retracting any of those false claims. And President Trump called Tim Walz the governor he previously blamed for the shootings by federal agents on a snowy street.
Joining us from Minneapolis with the latest is reporter Matt Sepik of Minnesota Public Radio. Good morning, Matt.
Chapter 7: What changes are Republicans calling for in response to Trump's immigration agenda?
Good morning. So we understand that Greg Bovino is no longer leading the Border Patrol. What have you heard about that move?
Bovino was the commander at large of the agency. He's made himself visible on the streets during operations here in Minnesota and elsewhere. Governor Tim Walz says Bovino is leaving Minnesota. Now he's returning to his old post in California and is expected to retire soon. This is effectively a demotion because he's no longer leading the administration's multi-state operation.
And President Trump spoke by phone with both Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye. What do we know about those calls?
Chapter 8: How could the social media trial reshape the tech industry?
On social media, the president said that he had a, quote, very good telephone conversation with the mayor. Fry said Trump agreed that the present situation cannot continue. And Governor Walz says the president seemed earnest.
Whatever has happened here, there is a definite change of tone. There is a definitely a more collaborative tone. I want to make sure that I'm not jeopardizing that, that I'm going to take them for their word right now.
Wall says Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of federal agents here and allow state police to investigate the killings of Renee Macklin Good on January 7th and Alex Preddy on Saturday.
And this has been a big point of contention. We've talked about this a number of times. So is the state taking part in any investigations?
There is little that state police can do without their federal counterparts, and there's still no indication whether the feds are cooperating. After Good was killed, the Department of Homeland Security blocked Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from investigating. Then Saturday, DHS refused to let the BCA access the area where Pretty was killed, even after the state got a search warrant.
A judge ordered the feds not to destroy any evidence. That order remains in place even as the Justice Department challenges it. In court yesterday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Seekert argued that the feds are already preserving the evidence, but state attorney Peter Farrell said he's not so sure because top administration officials called Preti a domestic terrorist within hours of his death.
So it seems like a lot of things are coming to head in federal court. Where do things stand with Minnesota's effort to halt the operation altogether?
During a hearing yesterday, state attorneys argued that the presence of so many federal agents in Minnesota is overwhelming local public safety resources. They also say the Justice Department is extorting the state. They pointed to a letter that Attorney General Pam Bondi sent to Walls on Saturday in which she demands that Minnesota hand over its voter rolls.
The DOJ calls the lawsuit frivolous and says the federal government has the right to enforce immigration laws. In yet another case, Minnesota's chief federal judge Patrick Schultz has ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear personally in court here on Friday.
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