Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks Quits Immediately — Third Major DHS Departure in Two Months

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks announced his resignation on Thursday morning, effective immediately — delivering his farewell directly to Fox News's congressional correspondent Bill Melugin, telling him simply: "It's just time." In a simultaneous message to Border Patrol staff, Banks cited nearly four decades of public service and said it was time to "return home to Texas to focus on my family and ranch."

Banks was an unusual appointment from the start. A political appointee of the second Trump administration rather than a career agency official, he was tapped to lead Border Patrol in January 2025 after serving as Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "border czar." He had also spent a decade in the U.S. Navy before rising through mid-level ranks at Border Patrol. Under his leadership, the administration launched its most aggressive immigration enforcement push in modern history — including "roving patrols" that took Border Patrol agents far from the southern border into major American cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Those interior operations, run by Banks's subordinate Gregory Bovino, drew intense controversy. They were largely discontinued following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis earlier this year — an incident that also contributed to the firing of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March. Noem's replacement, former Oklahoma senator and MMA fighter Markwayne Mullin, was confirmed as DHS Secretary in late March. Banks's resignation now marks the third major leadership departure at DHS in just two months.

The timing of Banks's exit is also shadowed by a conduct scandal. Six weeks ago, The Washington Examiner reported, citing six unnamed current and former Border Patrol sources, that Banks had allegedly bragged to coworkers about paying for sex with prostitutes while traveling abroad. A CBP spokesperson said those allegations dated back more than a decade, had been previously reviewed, and that "the matter was closed." CNBC reported Thursday that it was unclear whether the allegations played a role in his resignation. Banks himself made no mention of them in his farewell statement.

It is not yet clear who will replace Banks as Border Patrol's top official. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is also set to depart by the end of May, with David Venturella — a longtime immigration official and former private prison executive — set to take over on an interim basis. The cascading turnover raises questions about continuity within the agencies at the center of the Trump administration's signature domestic policy agenda.