From Border Patrol to Blood-and-Soil: Greg Bovino Speaks at Fascist Ethnic Cleansing Conference in Portugal

It is curious we are posting this on June 6. I urge Greg Bovino to remember what happened to the Nazis idolizes in Normandy 82 years ago today and his hero Edwin Rommel a few months later. Being a fascist doesn’t guarantee a long shelf life.

When Greg Bovino oversaw anti-immigration operations in Minneapolis a few months ago he was called out for his Nazi cosplay as much as his tactics. His participation in a white supremacist conference in Portugal on May 30th seemed to validate many of the concerns that had been expressed about him. 

The second “Remigration Summit” – named for the latest term White supremacists use for ethnic cleansing – was held in the town of Figueira da Foz with the focus of the event being the deportation of immigrants from Europe. Last year, the group intended to host the “Summit” in Milan, Italy. However, after being denied access to the city, the event was moved to Gallarate, where it was met with large anti-fascist protests.  This year, the organizers selected a more accommodating venue. According to an article published by American Renaissance, a white nationalist publication that hosts similar conferences in Tennessee, “There were no venue cancellations, thanks to a sympathetic owner who laughed off threats and demands.” The article also noted a stark contrast with the previous year’s event, stating that “whereas police swarmed last year’s summit to prevent trouble, this year no visible police protection was necessary.” 

Not only was Jared Taylor, the founder and editor of American Renaissance, in attendance at this “Summit” he and Bonvino were there as VIP guests alongside elected officials from Germany’s neo-fascist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Spain’s Vox. They all addressed the 600 fascists attendees coming from across Europe and many from the United States and Canada including Stefano Forte, president of the New York Young Republicans Club.

In his remarks in his speech Bovino, who has said in the past that he would like to deport a third of America’s population, said he and the Austrian neo-fascist organizer of the Summit, Martin Sellner shared the same ideals. “You’ve invited me here today,”Your ideas, we’ve talked a lot on that and those ideas mirror each other. We’ve never talked before face to face until yesterday and we’re on the same sheet of music almost immediately.” A controversial figure for years, in early 2018, Sellner received a donation of $1,500 from the Australian-born terrorist Brenton Tarrant of the March 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand.

In a video Bovino shared online of an interview he granted to a right wing media outlet, he said Trump needed “better advice” accusing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles of  attempting to “water down mass deportations.” He also took shots at Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for not being up to the job. Mullin was confirmed by the Senate in March to take over the position after his predecessor Kristi Noem was fired. “Mullin’s a great guy, great plumber, no doubt about that; he could probably fix a leaky faucet,” Bovino said in the interview, “But a hundred million illegal aliens is not a leaky faucet.”

Bovino was tapped to be the  Border Patrol “commander at large” after in October 2025 and in two months later began leading Operation Metro Surge, a major immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He approached the assignment with heavy handed tactics and his often known for wearing a trench coat that many critics said recalled the look of Nazi officer. Bovino was eventually ousted from the position after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti amid protests in Minneapolis in January 2026, and return to his post in El Centro, California.

Bovino officially retired from federal service at the end of March 2026, concluding a controversial 30-year career. His last day coincided with former DHS Kristi Noem’s exit from that position among the same controversy and others.

Last week, Bovino showed his support to  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fighting antifascists outside of Delaney Hall immigration detention center in New Jersey supporting the detainees who mounted a hunger strike. Bovino urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to “give them hell and live the moment!!” he said in a Tweet that featured him making a Nazi salute. The tweet was posted just before he left for Portugal.