Former U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino made an unannounced visit Sunday to Manolo’s Bakery in east Charlotte.
Bovino led Operation Charlotte’s Web in November, when federal immigration agents detained about 400 people in the Charlotte area. During the operation, Manolo’s Bakery was a nightly hub for protesters opposed to the federal immigration crackdown. The Trump administration removed Bovino from his position in January, and he left government service in March.
Bakery owner Manolo Betancur, a Colombian immigrant and a leader in Charlotte’s Latino community, said he encountered Bovino filming a video in the bakery’s parking lot.
Betancur said he confronted Bovino, and the two spoke for nearly 30 minutes about immigration and Operation Charlotte’s Web. Betancur said Bovino was not aggressive, but Betancur was frightened at first.
“At the beginning, I was shaking," Betancur said. "I was very scared.”
Betancur said Bovino, who grew up in Blowing Rock, recognized him and accused him of shutting down his business “just to protect illegals.”
In a message to WFAE, Bovino said he returned to locations Border Patrol targeted during Operation Charlotte’s Web to film a video. Bovino argued the federal government is not carrying out mass deportations to the extent it should.
Bovino also called immigrants who do not assimilate “anti-American” and criticized Betancur for his support of immigrants.
