A border patrol sector chief has been reinstated to his previous position after he was reassigned following an interview with congressional lawmakers, according to House Republicans.
Gregory Bovino was reinstated to his position as chief patrol agent for the El Centro Sector, according to a press release from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) and House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY). The Republicans said that there were credible allegations that Bovino had lost his position at the El Centro Sector, near Imperial, California, due to retaliation over testimony on the border.
“The credible and unacceptable allegations of retaliation against Chief Bovino for simply shining a light on the Biden administration’s historic border crisis confirms the importance of our Committees’ crucial oversight effort on behalf of the American people. Any retaliation against witnesses who cooperate with Congressional inquiries will not be tolerated,” a statement from Green and Comer said.
“We are deeply grateful to Chief Bovino and all the Border Patrol Sector Chiefs who have shared with us first hand insight into the devastating conditions on the frontlines of the Southwest border. Amid this administration’s national security and humanitarian crisis, we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the men and women in green who work tirelessly to defend the homeland and secure our sovereign borders,” the statement continued.
The reinstatement comes after Green and Comer sent a letter to acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller over the incident, noting that a whistleblower had informed that Bovino was being retaliated against after his transcribed interview before House lawmakers in July.
“The whistleblower indicates that this pattern is consistent with a common CBP practice to get rid of employees perceived as problematic by high-level officials by forcing those employees, out of frustration, to relocate, retire, or resign,” Comer and Green’s July letter said.
A representative from CBP previously said that any accusations of retaliation were “categorically false.”
“This temporary personnel assignment is entirely unrelated to any Congressional testimony or appearance, and was in process prior to the Chief’s transcribed interview,” a representative told the New York Post in July.
The Biden administration has faced constant criticism over its handling of the southern border, as millions of illegal aliens have crossed into the U.S., many of whom are processed and then released into the U.S. with a distant court date.
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