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U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks resigned on Thursday, adding to a series of leadership departures within the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agencies.
In a farewell message obtained by CBS News, Banks told agents it was “time for me to retire and return home to Texas to focus on my family and ranch,” while praising Border Patrol personnel for helping transform the southern border from “the most chaotic and unsecured border in the history of this great Nation” into “the most secure border this country has ever seen.”
Banks is the latest high-ranking immigration official to leave the administration in recent months.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was replaced in March by former Sen. Markwayne Mullin following criticism over her handling of the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and controversy tied to government-funded television advertisements.
Former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino also retired after being sidelined following the Minneapolis enforcement crackdown, while acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is expected to step down later this month.
President Donald Trump appointed Banks to lead the Border Patrol in January 2025 as part of a renewed effort to strengthen border enforcement and expand deportation operations following years of record illegal crossings during the Biden administration.
The appointment broke with longstanding tradition, as the Border Patrol chief position had typically been filled by longtime career officials within the agency. Before taking the post, Banks served as border czar for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and previously held several mid-level leadership roles within Border Patrol.
Banks also noted in his farewell message that he served for a decade in the U.S. Navy before joining the Border Patrol.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott praised Banks’ tenure, saying the border was transformed “from chaos to the most secure border ever recorded.”
