Charlotte, North Carolina - Former Border Patrol official Greg Bovino recently had a heated exchange with a Charlotte bakery owner over his aggressive immigration views and tactics.
On Sunday, Manolo Betancur – an immigrant rights advocate and entrepreneur – noticed that Bovino happened to show up in the parking lot of Manolo's Latin Bakery with a film crew and decided to confront him.
In a video of the exchange, Betancur is heard telling Bovino that he is not welcome on his property or in the city where he carried out Operation Charlotte's Web last November – a sweep that caused businesses to close, widespread economic losses, and protests.
Bovino responds by telling Betancur that he doesn't belong in "his" country, and ridicules him for shutting down his business because he "hires illegal aliens."
He then presses Betancur on why he carries his US passport with him, to which the business owner explained it was because federal agents have been racially profiling Hispanic people that they believe to be undocumented and arresting them on the spot.
In a statement to Axios, Betancur said the altercation was "bigger" than his bakery.
"Families are afraid, employees are afraid to go to work, customers are afraid to leave their homes, and small businesses are paying the price," he said.
Greg Bovino's exit from the Trump administration
Last year, President Donald Trump sent Bovino and federal agents to Democratic-run cities across the country to carry out aggressive deportation sweeps.
Their presence was met with massive protests, leading to clashes with citizens.
Their aggressive tactics have resulted in multiple US citizens and immigrants being shot, with at least four instances being fatal.
Bovino regularly faced widespread backlash over his aggressive leadership and unapologetic responses to the shootings. He ultimately retired back in March.
His decision to step down was met with surprise, as he appeared to thoroughly enjoy the role and the unchecked power it granted him. Early reports claimed he was removed from his post, but DHS denied the claim.
He has since tried desperately to cling to relevance by staying active on social media and threatening to go rogue with his own deportation efforts.
In a statement to The Charlotte Optimist, Bovino claimed he visited the bakery to dispute recent claims from current Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott that deportations are rising since his departure.
"I decided to show America that mass deportations are NOT being carried out in any form or fashion. A government lie," he wrote, adding that Charlotte business targeted by his raids appear to be "flourishing."