MINNEAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened an internal investigation into whether Gregory Bovino, the one-time architect of President Donald Trump\u2019s large-scale immigration crackdown, made disparaging comments about the Jewish faith of the U.S. attorney for Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFollowing a letter from a Congressman inquiring about reporting on anonymous allegations, CBP opened an internal inquiry to determine the full story,\u201d a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an emailed statement Wednesday. \u201cThis is standard procedure and does NOT indicate any confirmation of wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customs and Border Protection is part of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The investigation comes after The New York Times and then CBS News reported on remarks Bovino allegedly made during a Jan. 12 phone call held to coordinate a Saturday meeting to discuss the deployment of immigration agents in the Minneapolis area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the call, the reports said, Bovino allegedly complained that Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen was unreachable for part of the weekend because of the Sabbath, which in Judaism is observed from sunset Friday to nightfall Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bovino allegedly used the term \u201cchosen people\u201d in a disparaging way and asked, in a sarcastic tone, whether Rosen understood that some Orthodox Jewish people don\u2019t take the Sabbath off work, the reports said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo Orthodox criminals also take off on Saturday?\u201d he asked, according to CBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Times reported Rosen delegated the call to a deputy and that he himself was not part of the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Times first reported on the investigation. It said an investigator with Customs and Border Protection\u2019s office of professional responsibility wrote in an email that he had opened an \u201cofficial inquiry into the allegation\u201d that Bovino made \u201cunprofessional comments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bovino was the public face of the Trump administration\u2019s city-by-city immigration sweeps until late January. The Border Patrol chief led agents in Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans before he headed to Minnesota in December for what Homeland Security called its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The administration removed Bovino from his leading role after federal officers in Minneapolis fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of Homeland Security\u2019s use-of-force policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, a Minnesota prosecutor said her office would investigate Bovino and other federal officers for misconduct. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she would look into an instance in which Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Homeland Security said in a statement that states cannot prosecute federal officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n