U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks at a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and employees of U.S. Customs and Border Protection led by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Brownsville, Texas, on January 7, 2026.
Michael Gonzalez | getty images
US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks resigned on Thursday.
“We thank U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks for his decades of service to this country and congratulate him on his second retirement after returning to the service during one of the most challenging periods for border security,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement.
Scott said, “During his tenure as chief, the border was transformed from chaos to the most secure border it has ever been. We wish him and his family well.”
Fox News first reported that Banks was resigning from the Border Patrol, effective immediately.
“It’s time now,” Banks said, according to X-Post. Fox Congressional Correspondent, Bill Melugin.
According to Melugin, Banks said, “I feel like I’ve turned the ship back on course. From the least secure destructively chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever had.” “Time to rule, time to enjoy 37 years of family and life.”
Banks’ resignation came six weeks later Washington ExaminerCiting six unnamed sources described as current and former Border Patrol employees, the report reported that Banks had “bragged” to coworkers during his previous management role at the Border Patrol about paying for sex with prostitutes while traveling abroad.
CNBC has requested comment from CBP about those allegations and whether they played a role in Banks’ resignation.
“These allegations date back more than a decade and were reviewed years ago,” a CBP spokesperson told the Examiner in its report.
“The case was closed,” a CBP spokesperson said in a statement quoted by the news outlet. “CBP takes allegations of misconduct seriously. We value the public trust and work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law and hold ourselves accountable.”
A dispute over enforcement actions by the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to a partial shutdown of DHS from February to late April, as congressional Democrats refused to approve funding for the parent agency due to concerns about immigration enforcement. The deal ending the shutdown did not include funding for ICE and CBP.