U.S. Border Patrol Chief Banks Resigns

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced his immediate resignation on Thursday, ending a 37-year career in public service that included military duty and leadership roles in federal and state border enforcement.

"It's just time," Banks said in an interview. "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. Time to pass the reins, 37 years, it's time to enjoy the family and life." In a separate letter to agency employees, he wrote that he planned to return to Texas to focus on his family and ranch, thanking Border Patrol agents for their work in defending national sovereignty.

Banks, 53, rose from humble beginnings in Warner Robins, Georgia, where he was raised primarily by his grandmother on a fixed income. He worked picking peaches alongside migrant farmworkers to help pay bills. At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving a decade as a master-at-arms in law enforcement roles during combat and peacetime assignments. He joined the Border Patrol in 2000, holding leadership positions over 23 years in units including ATV patrols, horse units, boats, tunnel detection,...