The former US border patrol chief who became the public face of the highly controversial deportation drive in Minneapolis earlier this year has defended the operation, describing the withdrawal of agents from the city as a “surrender” by the Trump administration.

Greg Bovino also told the BBC that he was “not responding” to a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman shot dead during the operation. He appeared to dismiss the legal action, praising the officers deployed to Minneapolis and saying “people do lawsuits all the time”.

Bovino, 56, was removed from his role shortly after the fatal shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.

The two shootings, which were captured on video, triggered a bipartisan backlash and widespread protests. US President Donald Trump then said he was “going to de-escalate a little bit” and withdrew hundreds of immigration agents from the city.

Earlier this month, Good’s family filed two civil lawsuits against the Trump administration over her killing, alleging wrongful death and a conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of protesters.

One of the lawsuits names several top officials, including Bovino and Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot Good, “for their respective individual roles in the operation that led to Renee’s death”. It alleges that the government’s operation in Minneapolis created “an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence”.

Asked about Bovino’s remarks, the family’s lawyers said he was “spewing propaganda” and could not be “judge, jury and executioner”. They added: “Our legal team looks forward to the depositions of Mr Bovino and all of the defendants in this matter”.

A White House spokeswoman previously called the lawsuits “baseless”.