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Banks quits Border Patrol
Mike Banks resigned as head of the United States Border Patrol on Thursday, in what the articles describe as the latest turnover in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement leadership.
“Banks broke the announcement to Fox News, saying “it’s just time””
Banks told Fox News, “it’s just time” for him to leave, and he also took credit for a decline in border crossings since Trump took office for a second term.
Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott issued a statement thanking Banks for his “decades of service,” saying that “During his time as Chief, the border was transformed from chaos to the most secure border ever recorded.”
The resignation was confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, and it left it unclear who would replace Banks as the Border Patrol’s top official.
Fox interview and rival claims
Banks’ departure was framed by multiple outlets through his Fox News interview, where he said, “I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen.”
The Guardian reported that the resignation came weeks after the Washington Examiner said six current and former border patrol employees accused Banks of regularly paying for sex with prostitutes during trips to Colombia and Thailand over more than a decade.
The Guardian also said CBP described the matter as “closed” last month, with a spokesperson telling the Examiner the allegations “date back more than a decade and were reviewed years ago”.
In parallel, CBS News reported that Banks told Border Patrol employees in a farewell message that “it is time for me to retire and return home to Texas to focus on my family and ranch.”
What changes next
The leadership shake-up around Banks was described as part of a broader DHS transition, with the articles noting that Todd Lyons, acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was set to step down at the end of May and be replaced by David Venturella.
“Todd Lyons announced he was stepping away from his position, citing a desire to spend more time with his family”
Al Jazeera said the cabinet secretary in charge of DHS, Kristi Noem, was fired in March amid questions about spending including $20m on an advertising campaign, and Noem was reassigned to the Shield of the Americas initiative Trump launched to bolster security across the Americas.
The Guardian added that Banks’ resignation followed other exits, including Noem’s firing in March and Gregory Bovino’s demotion earlier this year before he retired.
In Minneapolis, Radio-Canada reported that Alex Pretti, 37, was killed by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol (CBP) on January 24, 2026, and that Renee Good, a mother of the same age, died on January 7 at the hands of ICE.
