Officials in Minnesota allege Bovino used language offensive to Jews on conference call

Controversial Border Patrol Leader Accused of Making Anti-Semitic Remarks on Conference Call.

A recent conference call involving Gregory Bovino, the former leader of the Border Patrol in Minnesota, has sparked outrage after it emerged that he used language offensive to Jewish federal officials. The call, which took place on January 12, was meant to coordinate a meeting with multiple federal officials to discuss issues related to the massive deployment of immigration agents in the area.

During the call, Bovino allegedly asked if Daniel Rosen, an Orthodox Jew and U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, could attend the meeting due to his Sabbath observance. His response, "Do Orthodox criminals also take off on Saturday?", was described as an "antisemitic rant" by one source. He also used the phrase "chosen people" in a disparaging manner.

The alleged comments were relayed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and others in the Department of Justice, as well as the White House. The Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the Department of Justice have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Bovino's remarks have contributed to a growing unease between federal immigration officials and some Minnesota-based federal prosecutors. ICE and Border Patrol officers have been engaged in a surge of raids and arrests, sparking widespread protests. Bovino has faced criticism before for his sometimes brusque manner, including from U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who described him as "cute" but also evasive during a deposition.

In November, an appeals court paused Judge Ellis's injunction limiting the use of force by federal immigration agents in Chicago. Bovino was reassigned and relieved of his command in Minneapolis earlier this week following an intense backlash over how top U.S. officials responded to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Customs and Border Protection officers on January 24.

Bovino is being reassigned to his old job at California's El Centro sector, where he served as chief agent before being deployed to major American cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, to lead sweeping immigration roundups. The alleged comments from Bovino come at a time when the Trump administration has sought to make countering antisemitism one of its primary policy goals.

The Justice Department and the Department of Education have launched dozens of civil rights probes into whether college campuses failed to adequately protect Jewish students during protests over the war in Gaza in 2023.

omg u wont bliev wut happnd to this guy Gregory Bovino he made some super discriminatory comments about jewish ppl on a conf call and now hes gettin reassigned lol yeah i no we gotta keep our gov officials accountable but come on, cant they just be civil? im glad the department of justice is takin action tho this kinda thing has been happenin 4 ages and its still not good enough

this is so frustrating, can't they just keep their personal thoughts at home? like who asks if jewish people take off on saturday and then uses a derogatory term for jews "chosen people"? it's not even subtle. how hard is it to treat everyone with respect?

the whole thing is just a mess, first u got the border patrol making raids and arrests that lead to protests, now you gotta add this to the mix where one of their leaders makes antisemitic comments. what's going on here? can't we all just get along?

This is so messed up , I cant believe what happened on that conference call. Someone who's supposed to be enforcing our laws ends up being one of those people who spews hate speech . I mean, come on, asking if Orthodox criminals take off on Saturday? That's just disgusting . And using the term "chosen people" like it's an insult? It's not okay, period .

I'm glad that Attorney General Pam Bondi and others found out about this and are taking action . We need more people like her who aren't afraid to speak up against hate and intolerance . And yeah, the whole situation with ICE and Border Patrol raids is already super concerning . We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies are holding themselves accountable for their actions .

It's also crazy that this is happening at a time when the Trump administration is trying to make countering antisemitism one of its policy goals . I mean, if we're going to take action against hate speech, it needs to be consistent across the board . No more exceptions or let's just turn a blind eye . We need real change and accountability .

idk why people are so upset about this guy making some kinda bad comment on a phone call... like, chill out! does he really think that's gonna affect his job? newsflash: if you're workin' with a bunch of federal officials who already got their butts hurt by cbp officers last year, you might wanna watch your mouth more often. also, i'm not buying the whole "chosen people" thing... sounds like some dude got caught speakin' his mind and now everyone's gettin' all huffy puffy

this is a huge deal, but can we take a step back and think about how we can prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place? I mean, come on, guys, let's not be like that . We gotta have some common sense and respect for everyone, regardless of their background or identity. It's crazy that these comments even made it to a conference call, and now we've got a whole mess to clean up . Bovino might think he's just making some joke, but the impact is real, and people are hurt . What's next? We need more education and training on cultural sensitivity and anti-bias awareness in our institutions. Can't we all just get along?

I'm really disappointed in this news... how could someone who's supposed to be protecting people think that using language like that is acceptable? It's not just hurtful, it's actually antisemitic and makes me wonder if he was ever fit for the job in the first place. The fact that it took a conference call to bring this to light makes me think some people might be trying to sweep it under the rug...

OMG like what's going on with these border patrol leaders?! Can't believe they're making antisemitic remarks and getting away with it! I mean, come on, if you're gonna make a comment about someone's Sabbath observance, at least have the decency to phrase it right, you know? And that "chosen people" thing? Ugh, so tired of these kinds of comments. Like, hello, we get it, there are some groups that are marginalized and deserve more love and support. Can't we all just get along and be respectful? The fact that someone would say something like this on a conference call is just wild to me... I don't know what's more disturbing - the comment itself or the fact that it was said by someone who's supposed to be in charge of enforcing immigration laws!

I'm shocked, but not surprised tbh... remember when we used to talk about racism like it was a serious issue? Nowadays it's all about "zero tolerance" and " political correctness"... I mean, what happened to just being honest? Gregory Bovino sounds like a real character, and his comments are straight out of The Simpsons . Do we really need to make such a big deal out of this? Like, shouldn't people be able to joke around on conference calls without getting roasted? I'm all for addressing the issue, but come on... it's just words, right? And what's with the backlash against Bovino? He was just trying to do his job, albeit a bit awkwardly . The Trump administration is trying to make a big deal about countering antisemitism, but I think they're missing the point... It's like, can't we all just get along?

this is so suspicious... like, why now? what's going on? Bovino was already getting heat for his tough approach to immigration enforcement... I think there's more to it than just him being "cute" but evasive. Maybe they're trying to distract us from the real issues with ICE and CBP. And that antisemitic rant is just a cover, right? They're not going to let this guy's personal views come back to haunt him unless it fits into their agenda...

omg this is soooo not okay ... I mean, how can someone be so insensitive like that? he's already had issues before but making anti-Semitic comments on a conference call is a whole other level of unacceptable . I'm literally shaking with anger thinking about it... like, who does he think he is?! and to make matters worse, these comments came out at the worst possible time when antisemitism is being taken seriously by the government . it's just heartbreaking to see people being treated unfairly because of their faith or ethnicity... we need to do better as a society, you know?

this is kinda like a big mess, right? but let's try to find some silver linings here... so on one hand, we've got this guy Bovino making these super bad comments and it's just awful. but on the other hand, I think it shows that there are still people who care enough about antisemitism to report it and speak out against it . and also, it makes me happy that the Trump administration is trying to tackle this issue head-on... maybe we can finally start to make some real progress here?

this is so messed up ... like can't they do better than that? i mean, using derogatory language towards jewish officials on a conference call? it's just not right, you know? and to think he was in charge of border patrol, trying to enforce immigration laws... what an abuse of power . and now he gets reassigned to california... still a job, but not exactly the prestige he had before . this is just another example of how some people can be super prejudiced and ignorant, it's heartbreaking

this is so not cool gregory bovino's anti-semitic comments are straight fire , like what is wrong with some ppl ? a guy makin' remarks about the jewish faith and how his fellow human b4 him r "chosen people" that's not cool at all & now he gets to go back 2 cali with a slap on the wrist meanwhile, more ppl are gettin upset & protests are ensuin in cities

This is just disgusting, an actual antisemite was leading our Border Patrol . I mean, can you imagine if someone used that kind of language towards, say, Muslims or African Americans? There would be a huge backlash . The fact that he's been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks during a conference call is just appalling . And to make matters worse, some people are actually defending him . I don't get it, using the phrase "chosen people" in a disparaging manner is not okay . It's time for him to be held accountable and take responsibility for his actions .

I'm totally not surprised about this, but like totally surprised at the same time? I mean, how can one person be so clueless and yet, somehow, still manage to be super obvious with their biases? The dude made some seriously sketchy comments, but honestly, who doesn't know better than to use phrases like "chosen people" in a bad way?

I'm all for holding people accountable for their words and actions, but let's not forget that we're also talking about a guy who's been making waves with his sometimes brusque manner... some of us just don't take kindly to being called out. It's like, if you can't handle the heat, then maybe you shouldn't be in charge?

I'm kinda hoping this is an opportunity for some real change and growth, but at the same time, I'm worried that we'll just see more of the same old behavior from people who think they're above criticism. Can we please just try to do better than this?

Just think about it, Bovino's comments are like a ripple effect . There were already tensions between federal immigration officials and some Minnesota-based federal prosecutors, but now we got this new layer . We're seeing a surge in raids and arrests, which is sparking protests everywhere .

According to my stats, since the beginning of 2023, there's been a 25% increase in anti-Semitic incidents reported in the US . And it's not just about hate groups, but also from individuals like Bovino who have platforms and influence .

Now, the alleged comments made by Bovino are being used to discuss the Trump administration's policy goals on countering antisemitism . But what I want to know is how many of these policies are actually effective? According to a Pew Research Center survey, only 53% of Americans believe that the US government has done enough to combat anti-Semitism .

It's also worth noting that Bovino's comments have sparked a conversation about the Department of Justice's response to these incidents . There were over 10,000 federal agents who participated in the January 6th insurrection , but we don't hear as much about them as we do about Bovino's comments .

Anyway, I just think it's interesting how one person can spark a national conversation .