Overview
- Reports from the New York Times and CBS say Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino mocked Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen’s Orthodox Jewish observance on a Jan. 12 call, using “chosen people” derisively and asking if Orthodox criminals take weekends off.
- Rosen, who observes Shabbat, had delegated the call to a deputy, and Bovino had sought the meeting to push for more aggressive criminal charges tied to immigration operations.
- ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and Sen. Jacky Rosen condemned the remarks as antisemitic, while the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately provide comment.
- The call occurred during a volatile period in Minneapolis that included the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent and, later, the killing of Alex Pretti, after which an internal review found two Border Patrol officers fired their weapons.
- Legal observers noted potential Giglio disclosure issues for cases involving Bovino, and reporting describes leadership churn as Tom Homan was sent to oversee operations, with Bovino’s status contested by DHS despite reports of his reassignment.