U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks resigns
Banks said he is stepping down after 37 years, leaving the Border Patrol without a confirmed successor as the agency faces renewed scrutiny.
- On Thursday, May 14, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced his immediate resignation, marking the latest high-profile departure from the Department of Homeland Security’s leadership team.
- Banks first revealed his decision during a Fox News interview, stating, "It’s just time." He claimed that under his 16-month tenure, he successfully steered the agency from a state of "chaotic" insecurity to overseeing the most secure border in U.S. history.
- While Banks cited a desire to return to his family ranch in Texas, his resignation comes amid scrutiny over federal immigration operations in Democratic-led "sanctuary cities," which recently resulted in the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.
- Banks is the third major immigration official to exit since March, following the ouster of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and the retirement of commander Gregory Bovino. He is being succeeded on an interim basis by a veteran agency official as the administration "recalibrates" its enforcement strategy.
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Border Patrol head Michael Banks resigns in leadership shake-up
The head of U.S. Border Patrol, the agency tasked with securing the nation’s frontiers and increasingly tapped by the Trump administration for immigration operations in American cities, announced his resignation Thursday. Michael Banks’ decision, announced in a Fox News interview and later confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, is the latest leadership shake-up of officials implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown a…
One More Departure for the Trump Administration: Resignation of the Director of the US Border Police
The Director of the US Border Police (CBP), Michael Banks, resigned on Thursday, marking another departure among the officials responsible for the implementation of the anti-immigration offensive desired by Donald Trump. ...
No reason was presented for the departure of Michael Banks, who did not respond immediately to the request for comment.
Border Patrol chief Michael Banks is stepping down
Michael Banks, chief of the US Border Patrol, speaks during a news conference in Nogales, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Ash Ponders/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (WASHINGTON) — Michael Banks, the head of U.S. Border Patrol, is stepping down, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott confirmed on Thursday. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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