Episode overview

Dems EAT Their Own in California, with Ana Kasparian, and Trump's "Softer" Deportation Approach, with Gregory Bovino | Ep. 1317

Megyn Kelly Show · 14 May 2026 · 5 Egleze moments

What happened in this episode?

Megyn Kelly hosted Gregory Bovino, former Border Patrol Commander at Large under Trump, for his first extended interview since retiring in March. Bovino delivered explosive claims about the Trump administration's quiet abandonment of mass deportations following the Minneapolis deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy. He revealed the administration dismantled roving Border Patrol strike forces in six major cities, reversed Stephen Miller's visa cuts, and pushed out all hardline immigration enforcement officials including himself, Kristi Noem, Cory Lewandowski, and Chief Mike Banks. Bovino claimed Border Czar Tom Homan and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott never contacted him once during his year-long operation and accused both of talking tough on television while lacking the will for true enforcement. He stated the administration has returned to de facto amnesty for illegal aliens who avoid committing additional serious crimes. Most controversially, Bovino insisted approximately 100 million illegal aliens currently live in the United States, citing 30-40% drops in Charlotte commuter traffic and school attendance during a brief 4-day enforcement operation as evidence. He warned that without resumed interior enforcement, border crossings are surging again in Laredo, Texas, with daily apprehensions rising from 90-100 under strict enforcement to nearly 500 currently. Bovino argued total spectrum immigration enforcement including E-Verify, cutting remittances, and roving patrols is essential to cause self-deportations. He suggested Republicans in Congress and pro-Israel lobbies influenced Trump to soften enforcement, and predicted American citizens will die as a result of the policy shift. The interview concluded with Bovino claiming the prostitution allegations used to force out Chief Banks had been previously investigated and cleared, suggesting the story was planted by administration insiders to remove another mass deportation hardliner.

What are the key points?

Bovino claims approximately 100 million illegal aliens live in the United States, citing 30-40% traffic and school attendance drops during brief enforcement operations as proof.
Trump administration quietly dismantled roving Border Patrol strike forces in six cities and reversed Stephen Miller visa cuts after Minneapolis deaths.
Bovino revealed Tom Homan and Rodney Scott never contacted him once during his year-long mass deportation operation across six major cities.
All hardline immigration officials including Bovino, Kristi Noem, Cory Lewandowski, and Chief Mike Banks have been systematically pushed out of the administration.
Border crossings surging again in Laredo with daily apprehensions rising from 90-100 to nearly 500 after administration abandoned interior enforcement.
Administration returned to de facto amnesty policy where illegal aliens who avoid serious crimes are left alone despite no legal status.
Bovino accused administration of planting prostitution story about Chief Banks despite him being previously investigated and cleared years ago.

Which topics are covered?

Politics Controversial

How is this page sourced?

Programme: Megyn Kelly Show
Published: 14 May 2026
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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5 moments from this episode

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Politics

Trump Administration Secretly Dismantled Interior Deportation Strike Forces After Minneapolis Deaths

at 57:15 · Attributed speaker claim

It does seem like things have changed over this past year, and whether that's towards amnesty or less deportations, the book's still open on that. There is reporting, including from The Atlantic, that reports in January the Labor Department's Foreign Labor Certification Office announced it would cut the number of approved visas for seasonal workers by about 50%. Stephen Miller had been trying for a long time to get these things cut. But they report that after those two people were killed in Minneapolis, Trump reversed the visa cuts and that Miller was not even aware of the walkback.

After the deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy in Minneapolis, the Trump administration quietly dismantled roving Border Patrol strike forces conducting interior enforcement in six major cities and reversed Stephen Miller's visa restrictions. Gregory Bovino confirmed the administration adopted a far softer approach, with hardliners like himself, Kristi Noem, Cory Lewandowski, and Chief Mike Banks all pushed out. The shift represents what Bovino called a return to de facto amnesty for illegal aliens who avoid committing additional serious crimes.

Read this moment → Check original at 57:15 ↗

Politics

Bovino Claims Tom Homan Rodney Scott Never Contacted Him During Year-Long Enforcement Operation

at 1:05:20 · Attributed speaker claim

I never heard from them for a year, for a year while we were in the field at Operation At Large throughout those 6 cities. Never heard from them for an entire year. It was on us, on us to do this mass deportations, which was fine. That's good. We will accept that. But, you know, a lot of work to be done as far as the will. Do we have the will to do this?

Gregory Bovino revealed that Border Czar Tom Homan and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott never contacted him once during the entire year he led mass deportation operations across six major cities. Bovino suggested both men talk tough on television about deporting all illegal aliens but lack the will to implement hardline enforcement. He distinguished between immigration officers willing to do the work and politicians who only like to talk about it.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:05:20 ↗

Politics

Gregory Bovino Says 100 Million Illegal Aliens Now Live in United States

at 1:36:20 · Attributed speaker claim

I do believe that, Megan. Let's look at the numbers from 1975. 1975, Pew and all the other ones were talking 12 to 15 million. When I came into the Border Patrol 30 years ago, 12 to 15 million. 2015, 12 to 15 million. But the only thing that was not making sense is working on the border, seeing this mass incursion of illegal aliens every single year coming into the United States, we all knew, well, there's no possible way it's 15 million.

Former Border Patrol Commander at Large Gregory Bovino claims approximately 100 million illegal aliens currently reside in the United States, vastly exceeding conventional estimates of 12 to 15 million. Bovino cited evidence including 30-40% drops in Charlotte commuter traffic and school attendance during brief 4-day enforcement operations as proof his figure is accurate. He argued official estimates have remained static for decades despite continuous mass migration at the southern border.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:36:20 ↗

Politics

Charlotte Lost 40 Percent of Commuter Traffic During 4-Day Border Patrol Operation

at 1:38:00 · Attributed speaker claim

Take a look at Charlotte, 153,000 commuters. 30 to 40% of that 153,000 quit commuting when we were in Charlotte for Operation Charlotte's Web on that 4-day operation. That was just a 4-day operation, really, 4-day operation. And when you've got 30 to 40% taken out, well, that correlates pretty darn well with 100 million. Same thing with the school children. They just revamped that estimate. Not a lot of absenteeism in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, 30% plus while we were there for that 4-day operation.

During a brief 4-day Border Patrol enforcement operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter traffic dropped by 30-40% and school absenteeism exceeded 30% as illegal aliens stayed home to avoid detection. Bovino cited these statistics as evidence supporting his claim of 100 million illegal aliens in the United States. He argued the dramatic behavioral changes during short enforcement operations prove conventional population estimates of 12-15 million illegal aliens are vastly understated.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:38:00 ↗

Politics

Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks Forced Out Over Prostitution Allegations Previously Cleared

at 1:41:05 · Attributed speaker claim

The same thing that happened to Kristi Noem is now happening to Mike Banks. All of a sudden they pull a rabbit out of their hat and these individuals, you know, oh my gracious, they're the worst thing since sliced bread. That's what I think about what just happened to Mike Banks. As a matter of fact, I think that prostitution thing had been investigated many years ago and he was cleared. So that's what they're not telling you there.

Former Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks resigned amid allegations of engaging with prostitutes abroad in Colombia and Thailand, but Bovino claims Banks was previously investigated and cleared years ago. Bovino suggested the Washington Examiner story was planted by administration insiders to force out Banks, a mass deportation hardliner. He noted that all hardliners including himself, Noem, Lewandowski, and Banks have been systematically removed from the administration.

Read this moment → Check original at 1:41:05 ↗