US Border Patrol chief Mike Banks announced Thursday that he was stepping down from his position, as the Department of Homeland Security has been cleaning house in the wake of ex-Secretary Kristi Noem’s exit.

“It’s just time,” Banks told Fox News’ Bill Melugin. “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 is time to enjoy the family and life.”

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement: “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.”

“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,” Scott also said.

Banks had served as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border czar before being appointed to the Trump administration post, though he had previously worked at US Border Patrol.

In April, current and former Border Patrol employees told the Washington Examiner that Banks had casually spoken of taking trips to Colombia and Thailand to have sex with prostitutes.

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility looked into those allegations in June 2025, when Banks returned to the agency two years after his retirement, according to the outlet.

The departure follows the previously announced resignation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons at the end of May.

Lyons will be replaced by Dave Venturella, a longtime ICE official and most recently a private prison company executive, DHS reps announced Wednesday.

Noem and her top adviser Corey Lewandowski left DHS in March following scrutiny of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts approved under the secretary that have since become the focus of a watchdog probe.

The same month, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino also retired after his leadership of operations in Minneapolis sparked backlash.

Two American citizens were killed in January in Minneapolis amid immigration enforcement actions, one of which was shot by a Customs and Border Protection agent.

President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan was dispatched to Minnesota to quell unrest and stand down Operation Metro Surge, which brought more than 3,000 ICE and CBP agents to Minneapolis.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) was then tapped to replace Noem as DHS chief and shortly after confirmed in the US Senate.

DHS has estimated that more than 2 million migrants self-deported in the first year of Trump’s second term. Another 675,000 were forcibly deported.