The face of the most aggressive immigration operation in modern U.S. history briefly came out of retirement on Thursday to announce he had joined the conservative movement that helped define President Donald Trump’s political career.
Former Border Patrol boss Greg Bovino made a surprise appearance at the MAGA love-in known as CPAC, having just left the agency after being sidelined by the president himself.
“I’ve been retired 24 hours now,” Bovino told the friendly crowd of Trump diehards. “I left my tribe, folks. But I joined another tribe—and that is you, the conservative CPAC movement, America. Thanks for having me!”
Bovino, who was part of a deportation rampage that culminated with the high-profile shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good, was introduced on stage by conservative influencer Benny Johnson.
“Can we get a massive round of applause for our Border Patrol and ICE agents, and Greg’s work as the chief of Border Patrol?” Johnson said, amping up the crowd.
“The fake news hate him, Libs hate him! This is Darth Vader. For those people, he’s the biggest bad guy, but he’s a hero to us and the America First movement!”
Moments later, another “hero” of sorts came on stage to give Bovino a hug—actor Dean Cain, best known for playing Superman in the 1990s television series Lois & Clark.
“Superman got me!” Bovino beamed.
Cain had also been an earlier speaker at the conference on Thursday, giving a five-minute speech entitled “Truth, Justice and the American Way.”
“When extremists on the left screamed ‘defund the police,’ I joined law enforcement,” Cain, 59, said. “When the leftists shrieked—as they are shrieking now—‘defund ICE,’ I joined ICE.”
The comments echo a statement Cain also made last year when he declared he was an “honorary” member of the agency and urged others to become “heroes” by joining ICE.
But ICE and Border Patrol have come under fire in recent months, thanks in part to the aggressive tactics deployed by Bovino and encouraged by recently canned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Everybody f‑‑‑ing gets it if they touch you!” Bovino was recorded saying during a pep talk to his officers during a deportation operation.
“You hear what I’m saying? Less lethals. We’re gonna look at shipping tractor-trailer loads of that s‑‑t in here... It’s all about us now. It ain’t about them!”
Bovino became the notorious face of Trump’s deportation strategy and the subject of Nazi cosplay memes due to his trademark green trench coat.
But as he left the agency this month, he took aim at Border czar Tom Homan, who Trump called on to take over immigration operations in Minneapolis after he and Noem were sidelined.
Referencing accusations that Homan once accepted a bribe of $50,000 in a paper bag, Bovino told The New York Times: “You’re not going to see me talking to anyone for a bag of money.”
But Homan was also a hit at CPAC. The border czar has prioritized deportations of “the worst of the worst” criminals and gang members, placing him at odds with Bovino and Noem.
In contrast, insiders say, the cosplay-loving Noem wanted broader public round-ups and the theatrics of promoting them, often bypassing Homan in the process.
Asked at CPAC on Thursday how he felt about Markwayne Mullin now heading DHS, Homan called him a “great guy” who understood the department was filled with career officials with years of experience—a veiled swipe, it seemed, against Mullin’s predecessor.
