Former Border Patrol Hardliner Bovino Booted from Vegas Strip Sports Bar

^{Greg Bovino (left), a former U.S. Border Patrol official, was asked to leave Bottled Blonde on the Las Vegas on the Strip Thursday night. (Photos: Erin Hooley / AP, Las Vegas Locally on Facebook)}

LAS VEGAS — Gregory Bovino, the controversial former U.S. Border Patrol official who recently led a high-profile immigration enforcement effort in Minneapolis, was asked to leave Bottled Blonde Las Vegas on the Strip Thursday night over safety concerns. Photos shared on social media showed Bovino at the sports bar outside of the Horseshoe Las Vegas  casino and hotel before being escorted out by staff.  

Bovino had recently drawn national attention as a public face of a Trump-era immigration enforcement in Minnesota, an assignment he was later relieved of without public explanation from federal officials. His appearance in Las Vegas — and removal from a Strip sports bar — marks his first public sighting since leaving that role.

The Bottled Blonde sits in one of the busiest parts of the Strip, surrounded by major casino-resorts and lots of tourists on foot. The establishment emphasized that it does not engage in political activity or affiliations and reserves the right to refuse service to any patron at its discretion.

Venue Cites ‘Safety Concerns’ in Bovino’s Removal 

Bovino was reportedly drinking wine and laughing with a group of young men when he was asked to leave the establishment. A representative for Bottled Blonde told The Daily Beast that the former official was escorted off the premises due to safety concerns. 

“Upon becoming aware of the individual’s presence, the patron was asked to leave the premises and was escorted out by staff in accordance with venue policy to maintain a safe and orderly environment for all patrons,” the statement to The Daily Beast said.

Social media videos showed him socializing inside the venue, with photos capturing him speaking to several men, including one wearing an American flag shirt. It is unclear whether those present were friends, colleagues, or strangers.

Bottled Blonde’s location in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip has only amplified the social media attention of the incident. While the bar is not on a casino property, it is next to Paris and across the street from Bellagio in a nightlife hotspot that has grown in popularity since the closure of Drai’s Nightclub and Beachclub. 

Incident Follows Official’s Exit from CBP

The incident drew attention due to the national focus on immigration enforcement and Bovino’s recent removal from his position by President Donald Trump. Though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol are often discussed together, they serve very different functions within the Department of Homeland Security. 

Border Patrol primarily focuses on securing U.S. borders. But ICE operates within the country and focuses on immigration enforcement of those from outside of the country who have violated immigration laws or committed crimes while here illegally. 

Bovino’s appearance in Las Vegas comes just days after he was relieved of his role and replaced by Tom Homan on Jan. 27 as the public face of Operation Metro Surge. His removal came shortly after the uprising against immigration officials in Minneapolis, leading to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month.

Reaction online to Bovino’s appearance at the bar was mixed. 

“Seeing Greg Bovino laughing in Las Vegas is understandably upsetting to many, especially so soon after Alex Pretti’s death,” one X user wrote in response to the incident.

On the other hand, the Nevada Republican Men’s Club posted that Bovino is “always welcome in Vegas.”

Bottled Blonde declined to provide further details about the incident, reiterating that it is a private business and does not comment beyond its stated policies.