Trump's Border Patrol Chief Quits: Where do Crossings Stand?

The Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol announced on TV Thursday that he was resigning from his position, saying he had helped get “the ship back on course” following the surge in illegal crossings.

Michael Banks told Fox News that he was resigning effective immediately, having overseen the Border Patrol since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, at a time when southwest border crossings were on the decline.

He told the outlet that crossings remained low, referring to the previous record highs seen during the Biden administration. In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 11,732 encounters along the southwest border with Mexico, down from almost 190,000 in the same month in 2024.

"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 serve during one of the most challenging periods for border security,” Rodney Scott, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, said in a statement to Newsweek.

“During his time as Chief, the border was transformed from chaos to the most secure border ever recorded. We wish him and his family well."

Banks’ departure comes after several controversies to have hit the Border Patrol, including the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by one of its officers in January, as well as another major recent departure of former acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 11:09 AM.