US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks Resigns

Michael Banks, chief of US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), announced his immediate resignation on Thursday, as reported by multiple outlets including Fox News. In an interview with Fox News, Banks stated that it was 'just time' to retire after 37 years of service. He claimed he had transformed the border from its 'least secure and most chaotic state' into 'the most secure this country has ever seen.' His departure follows a series of high-profile exits within the Trump administration's immigration team, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and outspoken CBP commander Greg Bovino.

Banks had been in his role since early 2025 when President Donald Trump returned to the White House. His appointment was notable as he was a political appointee rather than a career agency official, having previously served as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's border czar. During his tenure, Banks oversaw significant changes in immigration enforcement, including the expansion of prosecutions for unlawful border crossings and intensified coordination between Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The resignation comes amid controversy, with allegations surfacing weeks prior that Banks had engaged in misconduct during international trips. According to a report by The Washington Examiner, six current and former Border Patrol employees accused Banks of paying for sex with prostitutes in Colombia and Thailand over more than a decade. CBP described the matter as 'closed,' stating that the allegations were reviewed years ago. The agency did not comment further when contacted by other outlets such as The Guardian.

Banks' farewell message to Border Patrol employees emphasized his pride in their collective achievements, including what he described as transforming the border from chaos to security. Rodney Scott, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, congratulated Banks on his retirement, acknowledging his decades of service and the secure state of the border during his tenure.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear who will replace Banks. His resignation takes place two months after Markwayne Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, became homeland security secretary. DHS oversees CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

The Trump administration marked a full year of 'zero releases' at the southern border on Friday, according to Fox News. This milestone refers to U.S. Border Patrol not releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. interior after apprehension, though it does not mean zero illegal crossings or zero apprehensions.

In a news release announcing the decline in releases at the southern border, CBP pointed to broader enforcement statistics showing illegal crossings and apprehensions at levels officials said have not been seen in more than three decades. CBP reported that Border Patrol recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April, which is 94% lower than the Biden administration’s monthly average.

'The days of catch and release are over,' said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. 'We are enforcing the nation's laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries.' CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott noted that Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the country in April, contrasting this with April 2024 when more than 68,000 were released under President Biden.

DHS officials highlighted drug and trade enforcement numbers, noting that nationwide seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana by weight increased 60% from April 2024. The agency said it seized 463 pounds of fentanyl in April and has seized 61% more drugs so far this fiscal year than during the same period in FY 2024.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Fox News Digital that while the administration’s claim of 'zero releases' from Border Patrol custody appears true, it does not capture migrants transferred to ICE custody and later released on bond, parole, medical or humanitarian grounds, or after winning their cases.

Reichlin-Melnick acknowledged that Trump's hardline immigration approach has produced results at the border but argued that the administration’s policies have gone too far by effectively shutting off access to asylum at the southern border. 'The Trump administration has sent the message to the world that the United States is no longer a place where people can seek safety,' he said.

Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security marked Banks’s departure by surfacing a media report accusing him of soliciting prostitutes while abroad. 'Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks has RESIGNED following prostitution allegations,' their social media account posted. 'Good riddance.' A CBP spokesperson told the Washington Examiner newspaper that the allegations had been investigated and 'the matter was closed'.