Border Patrol Chief Resigns in Latest Trump Immigration Shake-Up

The head of the US Border Patrol has resigned unexpectedly, marking the latest personnel change in President Donald Trump’s immigration apparatus.

Michael Banks stepped down on Thursday, with authorities giving no reason for his departure. He had led the Border Patrol since January 2025, after serving two decades with the agency and later becoming Texas border czar.

Former agency officials said Banks had been an ally of Kristi Noem, the former homeland security secretary whom Trump dismissed in March.

The shake-up comes as public support for the president’s immigration policies has declined. Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is also due to leave at the end of the month, while Gregory Bovino, a controversial Border Patrol official, retired in March. Trump’s border adviser Tom Homan has meanwhile been given expanded powers.

The administration announced this week that Lyons would be replaced by David Venturella, a former immigration official. During Banks’ tenure, the government also deployed agents to major US cities as part of large-scale crackdowns on illegal immigration.

(reuters, bak)