Trump administration locks out Greg Bovino from all social media accounts

EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration has shut down three social media accounts that recently retired Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino renamed to his personal title and had refused to return despite them being federal property, the Washington Examiner has learned.

Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts that had a combined audience of 850,000 people, belonging to the Border Patrol’s El Centro, California, region, were shuttered mid-Thursday after being up and running earlier in the day, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Chief Patrol Agent Bovino has retired from federal service and no longer has access to official government social media accounts,” a CBP spokesperson wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner on Friday.

Five people familiar with the showdown between Bovino and the federal government over this unusual issue spoke with the Washington Examiner between January and March about the effort in Washington to take back the accounts from an employee who had