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The architect of DHS’ immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles arrived in Chicago this week, against the backdrop of Illinois leaders condemning President Donald Trump’s purported plans, according to reports.
Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol section chief for the El Centro Sector in California, most recently became the face of ICE raids in the Golden State – where he even participated directly in intensive operations at MacArthur Park and regional Home Depot stores, according to CBS News.
On September 2, Bovino said Operation At-Large – the Los Angeles endeavor – will be “taking the show on the road” and “trading palm trees for skyscrapers.”
The muscular, hair-gelled North Carolina native has been called an “avatar” of the Trump era. He joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and plans to return to the Tar Heel State upon mandatory retirement age in a few years to work an apple farm, according to the AP.
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Bovino has been a prominent face in federal immigration enforcement for some time, including when the Biden Homeland Security Department denied allegations he was retaliated against for congressional testimony before Congress.
House Republicans cited a whistleblower who claimed Bovino had been reassigned to a “vague, indefinite and temporary headquarters assignment” after participating in a transcribed interview in July 2023.
Bovino attributed the demerit to past actions — including posting a profile photo of himself with an M4 rifle — and to sworn testimony he and other officials gave during the illegal immigrant surge, according to the Associated Press.
The North Carolina native continues to feature weaponry in his social media profiles.
That tough-guy image borne itself out in the Los Angeles operations he oversaw, which also included dispatching agents to make arrests at farms in inland Bakersfield, and the intense raids in the City of Angels.
Bovino told the AP that the Los Angeles operations were necessary because “What happens at the border – even 100 years ago – didn’t stay at the border and still doesn’t.”
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Meanwhile, in Chicago, DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz, modeled after immigration enforcement successes in Los Angeles, in which Bovino is reportedly chiefly involved.
When asked for details about Bovino’s role in Midway Blitz and whether he is official in-town, a Border Patrol spokesman told Fox News Digital: “Stay tuned.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the operation was launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a woman killed in a DUI car crash caused by illegal immigrant Julio Cucul-Bol.
“This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago,” she said, with the department adding in a statement that Cucul-Bol was in Illinois because Gov. JB Pritzker’s sanctuary policies drew him and other illegal immigrant criminals there.
The Hyatt Hotel heir, who is considered a top potential presidential contender in 2028, made Chicago a “magnet for criminals,” McLaughlin said.
The Trump administration has made clear “no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return,” she added.
Pritzker was not amused by the idea of Bovino entering Chicago, telling reporters outside a Mexican art museum in the city that is “evidence that they have terrible plans for the communities of Illinois.”
As part of Midway Blitz, DHS also released a list of several “worst-of-the-worst” targets, including Iraqi national Abdul Raza Al Kaby, who has convictions for felonious assault, and intent to kill.
The agency said Al Kaby was ordered deported in 1997 but has been released multiple times since then by Illinois judges despite active ICE detainers.
A Naval station in nearby Waukegan is being used as a staging area, according to CBS News, which reported an internal request from DHS to the Pentagon for accommodation of hundreds of agents and vehicles.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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