The owner of a Charlotte Latin bakery known for championing immigrant causes says he was left startled when the controversial former commander of U.S. Border Patrol showed up in his business’s parking lot as part of a podcast recording Sunday.
Read more Rocker Nathan James’ Father Bill McGinley’s Cause of Death Revealed
“Manolo Betancur, owner of Manolo’s Bakery and longtime advocate for Charlotte’s immigrant community, confronted former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino at the bakery and refused to allow him inside,” the bakery, located in the 4400 block of Central Avenue, reported in a social media post.
Bovino was told “he was not welcome” inside the bakery or on its property, the Aug. 23 Facebook post says.
The post was accompanied by photos and video of Bovino standing in the parking lot talking with someone. The person is also seen giving a thumbs up sign to a photographer. He appeared to be preparing for an interview, according to Betancur.
Betancur told The Charlotte Observer in an interview Monday morning the encounter was the latest in a series of troubling incidents since his business was thrust into the spotlight during Border Patrol’s November operation in Charlotte.
“It’s kind of sad, kind of scary. I just want to serve bread, man. I want to serve cakes, and I just want to keep chasing the American dream,” he said. “I didn’t apply to be this face of this situation, and I keep asking God for wisdom with my words. You know, I don’t want to create more division, more hate. I don’t want to be part of the division. I want to be part of the solution.”
In a statement to the Observer, Bovino said he was in Charlotte to visit “several locations where I had earlier commanded Border Patrol during the extremely successful ‘Charlotte’s Web’ operation” for a podcast.
Bovino grew up in North Carolina and told The New York Times he was planning “a quiet retirement” in the state’s backcountry after leaving Border Patrol this year. Bovino, 55, had been with Border Patrol since in 1996, the Associated Press reported. His retirement came after he was removed from his role as CBP commander at-large.
Bovino’s time leading Border Patrol was marked by controversial operations in U.S. cities, including “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in and around Charlotte. More than 370 people were arrested during the operation, the Observer reported previously. People protested the agency’s deployment, and the city’s cultural corridor near Central Avenue saw many businesses close their doors temporarily. People avoided workplaces and students missed school.
Betancur has estimated his business suffered losses of between $50,000 and $64,000 following the immigration crackdown in Charlotte. The bakery, which first opened in 1997, continues to face hate and bad reviews after becoming a hub for Latino and Hispanic residents during Charlotte’s Web, he told the Observer Monday. The building was egged in July, Betancur said.
“It has been a very tough year. You know, worse than the 2008 recession, worse than COVID,” Betancur said. “We haven’t been able to get back on track.”
Read more Taylor Swift Admits She Felt ‘Washed Up’ and ‘Aging Out’ of Music Biz at 22
Betancur saw Bovino on Sunday when the business owner arrived in his bakery’s parking lot, he said Monday. The former Border Patrol official was with another person and appeared to be setting up for an interview.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, Gregory Bovino is here.’ That was very scary. I started shaking, and I didn’t know what to do,” Betancur said.
Bovino said in his statement he was in Charlotte with BorderHawk News. He also recently posted on X about launching Facebook, YouTube and TikTok accounts. They pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall where Manolo’s is located to show businesses “are flourishing” after White House Border Czar Tom Homan and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott “surrendered in Minnesota” and to “show mass deportations are not occurring on any level as touted by” Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Mullin, Bovino said.
Betancur said he spoke with Bovino for about 35 minutes about immigration and politics in the parking lot after telling Bovino he wasn’t welcome inside his bakery. Bovino claimed Betancur wasn’t allowing him in the bakery because Betancur was “hiding your illegals,” Betancur said.
“He kept saying that the best thing that ever happened to Charlotte was ‘Charlotte’s Web,’” Betancur said.
Bovino said in his statement Betancur filmed him and initially said the bakery “was closed due to AC problems” before saying he wouldn’t sell to him.
The experience left the business owner rattled.
“I didn’t sleep that much, and I keep shaking my head here and thinking, why me? You know, why this bakery?” he said.
Betancur, who plans to speak during the public forum at Monday’s Charlotte City Council meeting, said he’d like to see more support from local politicians and the business community.
“Show some humanity and show compassion towards us,” he said.
This story was originally published August 24, 2026 at 12:50 PM with the headline “Manolo Betancur on his ‘scary’ confrontation with Gregory Bovino: ‘Why this bakery?’.”
Read more The Girls’ Khadijah Haqq Seeks Child Support 2 Years After Bobby McCray Split