U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Banks steps down amid DHS shakeup

Michael Banks stepped down as U.S. Border Patrol chief on Thursday, effective immediately, after telling staff he would return to Texas to focus on his family and ranch. His exit leaves one of the federal government’s most visible immigration enforcement posts open as the Department of Homeland Security moves through a broader leadership shakeup under Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Banks had been appointed chief in January 2025 after decades in the Border Patrol.

The Border Patrol is the primary federal law enforcement agency responsible for preventing illegal entry and smuggling across U.S. borders between ports of entry, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it operates with about $1.4 billion in annual funding and 20 sector offices. That footprint gives the chief significant influence over operations along the United States-Mexico border, where any abrupt turnover at the top can affect staffing, enforcement priorities and coordination across the field.

Banks’ departure also comes after a period in which the administration publicly highlighted falling border crossings and a surge in new applicants. CBP said Border Patrol received 34,650 applications from January through April 2025, a 44% increase from the same period in 2024. Banks had also been closely associated with the claim that the southern border had become the “most secure border this country has ever seen,” a message that sat at the center of the administration’s broader immigration pitch.

He remained a public face of the agency into this year, including a Jan. 7, 2026 appearance in Brownsville, Texas, alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. But the chief’s exit now lands amid mounting scrutiny over the department’s internal stability. Reporting last month linked Banks to misconduct allegations raised by current and former agency employees, deepening questions about oversight inside a force charged with front-line border enforcement.

DHS and CBP did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the resignation. With Banks gone, the Border Patrol faces another leadership handoff at a moment when the administration is still trying to defend its immigration strategy and show that the border is under control.