U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks is immediately retiring from his role after nearly four decades at the agency, marking at least the fifth Homeland Security official to leave the federal agency tasked with implementing Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
“It’s just time,” he said in a statement to Fox News. “I feel like I got the ship back on course.”
He said it’s now “time to pass the reins” after his 37 years at Border Patrol, which policies American borders under U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
His abrupt departure marks the latest high-profile exit from the Trump administration in recent weeks after several Cabinet-level firings and resignations as the president entered a second year back inside the White House.
He’s among at least five Homeland Security officials to leave the agency this year, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Acting Director Todd Lyons, who is also retiring this month.
In March, Trump fired now-former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was demoted to a diplomatic “special envoy” role. Her deputy Tricia McLaughlin also announced she was leaving the agency in February.
And in January, now-former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan stepped down to run for a congressional seat in Ohio. She lost a Republican primary earlier this month.
Trump also fired Attorney General Pam Bondi after a chaotic 14 months in office, and his scandal-ridden Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned after mounting allegations of misconduct in office.
This week, Marty Makary resigned as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, marking the fourth top agency chief to leave the administration this year.
Banks maintained a relatively low profile at the agency compared to other top Border Patrol officials such as Gregory Bovino, who assumed the role of “commander at large” as he led hundreds of federal immigration agents in violent raids across the country.
After Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis in January, sparking international outrage and bipartisan scrutiny into the killings of anti-ICE demonstrators and violent clashes with citizens and immigrants alike, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan pulled back operations in the city and sent Bovino back to his post in southern California.
“I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,” Banks told Fox News. “Time to pass the reigns, 37 years, it’s time to enjoy the family and life.”
This is a developing story