US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigns

U.S. Border PatrolChief Mike Banks told Fox News on Thursday he is resigning, effective immediately.

"It's just time," Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.

"I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure. disastrous, chaotic border tothe most secure borderthis country has ever seen," he said. "Time to pass the reigns, 37 years, it's time to enjoy the family and life."

Banks has previously detailed his upbringing in the small town of Warner Robins,Georgia. He said he was raised primarily by his grandmother. who was on a fixed income, as his single mother struggled to raise his two older half-sisters.

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FILE - Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks speaks with a Border Patrol agent at the Calexico Border Patrol Station in El Centro. California, March 11, 2025.(USBP photo by Julie Diaz)

To help his grandmother pay the bills, Banks said he began working full-time in the summers. part-time during the school year picking peaches, working alongside migrant farmworkers.

According to an interview published on theU.S. Customs. Border Protection (CBP)website, Banks said the experience had given him a deep sense of humility and compassion, teaching him what it takes to support a family.

Banks enlisted in themilitaryat 17 years old. served for a decade in both combat and peacetime, overseas and in the U.S., primarily in law enforcement roles.

After hearing stories from CBP agents, Banks applied to the agency in 2000.

FILE - Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in El Paso, Texas, in February 2025.(USBP photo by Maria Alatorre)

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Over his 23 years in the Border Patrol, Banks held numerous leadership positions. worked in many units, including ATVs, horse patrol, bikes, boats, tunnel team,investigationsand prosecutions.

Frustrated by what he described as the "destruction" of morale. border security during the first two years of the Biden administration, Banks retired from the Border Patrol and went to work for the state of Texas.

He said he watched the situation deteriorate further beforereturning to lead the agencyas chief under the second Trump administration.

Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks speaks with Border Patrol agents assigned to the All-Terrain Vehicle Unit.(USBP photo by Julie Diaz)

It is unclear who willreplace him.

The White House, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and CBP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Bill Melugin serves as congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. He joined the network in May 2021.