US Border Patrol Chief Resigns

The head of US Border Patrol announced his resignation Thursday in what amounts to the latest leadership change among officials carrying out immigration enforcement operations. Michael Banks made the announcement during a Fox News interview, with the Department of Homeland Security later confirming his departure.

He had led the agency responsible for securing the nation’s borders and which has been increasingly used for operations inside American cities. “It’s just time,” Banks was quoted as saying. ” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Banks’ exit comes as the administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to immigration enforcement. It was not immediately clear who will replace him at the head of an agency that has been at the forefront of high-profile operations. He kept a lower profile than some other officials involved in city-level enforcement, such as a now-retired commander who had become a more public face of those efforts.

The resignation follows other recent shake-ups among officials implementing immigration policy.

Patrol has seen its responsibilities expand beyond traditional frontier security to include support for interior immigration operations in multiple American cities. The agency’s leadership transition occurs amid ongoing debates over the scope and effectiveness of these expanded duties.

Outcry has continued over a recent incident in which ICE agents were involved in the killing of a US citizen, though that event was not directly tied to Banks’ decision to step down. Officials have not detailed how the resignation might affect ongoing operations.