German media likens US border patrol official’s coat to ‘Nazi look’

A greatcoat worn by the senior US border patrol official Gregory Bovino, who has spearheaded aggressive immigration operations across the country, has raised eyebrows in German media with some commentators saying it resembled a fascist aesthetic.

Bovino has been an increasingly recognisable figure during the raids in Minneapolis for the brass-buttoned, calf-length olive green coat, which is unlike the fatigues and body armor worn by many of the federal agents.

Along with his close-shorn haircut, the media organization Der Spiegel suggested in a video feature that Bovino’s look recalled that of a Nazi officer.

Arno Frank, a writer at Der Spiegel, said in a separate article that what he described as the “authoritarian intervention” in the US was still establishing its “distinctive aesthetic”.

“No wonder, then, that figures like Bovino are resorting to tried-and-tested models,” he said. While the other federal agents seem to wear “whatever they have to hand”, he argued that Bovino “stands out from this thuggish mob, just as an elegant SS officer stands out from the rowdy SA mob. The dashing undercut is also spot on; all that’s missing for the perfect cosplay is a monocle.”

Another German media outlet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, made similar comments. “Other countries also had these coats, but Bovino’s outfits complete the Nazi look: a closely cropped haircut, as if he had taken a photo of [assassinated SA leader] Ernst Röhm to the barber,” it said.

View image in fullscreen Nazi Party members Ernst Rohm, left, and Rudolph Hess. Photograph: Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

Topping off the ensemble was “a black shirt with badges on the collar tips; and perhaps the most extravagant accessory: a Sam Browne belt held in place by a leather strap slung diagonally across the shoulder, an accessory of historical officer uniforms, but now mainly used in the BDSM scene”.

Bovino has denied in interviews that he intended to convey any Nazi or fascist meanings, and said he has owned the coat for many years. CBP did not immediately responded to a request for a comment.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, told the Guardian that the coat was standard issue and responded to a query by saying it was a “manufactured outrage”. Previously she said to the New York Times that the coat was part of a “standard-issue border patrol winter dress uniform”, although the newspaper also cited a 2025 document detailing the Border Patrol’s Uniform and Grooming Standards in which the coat in question was not listed as part of any official uniform.

The discussion of Bovino’s style has not been limited to Germany. “If you think the calls of fascism and authoritarianism are hyperbole pause and watch this video,” wrote the California governor, Gavin Newsom, who is an outspoken critic of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, in October in response to a provocative US government clip featuring Bovino wearing the coat, among other outfits. “They aren’t even trying to hide who they are.”