Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
Mike Banks, a seasoned law enforcement professional and former Texas Border Czar, officially assumed the role of U.S. Border Patrol Chief on January 20, 2025. The appointment coincided with President Donald Trump’s inauguration, marking a significant milestone in Banks’s career in border security.
Banks’s appointment follows his tenure as Texas’s first-ever Border Czar, a position created by Governor Greg Abbott on January 30, 2023, to address border security concerns without federal action under the Biden administration. Announcing the role at a Texas border wall construction site in San Benito, Governor Abbott highlighted Banks’s decades of experience as a decorated Border Patrol agent and federal law enforcement leader.
“For nearly two years, Texas has taken unprecedented action under Operation Lone Star to secure the border,” Abbott stated in 2023. “Mike Banks’s leadership, deep expertise, and unwavering commitment make him the perfect choice to oversee Texas’s ongoing fight against illegal immigration, lethal drugs, and deadly weapons. His leadership as Border Czar has been instrumental, and I have no doubt he will bring that same dedication to his new role.”
Mike Banks has over 30 years of federal law enforcement experience, with 23 of those years focused on U.S.-Mexico border security operations. He served in several leadership roles, including Patrol Agent in Charge at the Weslaco and McAllen Stations, Executive Officer and Acting Division Chief of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, and Acting Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement Operational Programs at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, D.C. His career has taken him across Texas, Arizona, and California, focusing on operational efficiency and coordination.
Before his Border Patrol career, Banks served as a U.S. Navy Military Police officer. He is a decorated professional with numerous awards from both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Border Patrol. Banks holds an associate’s degree in administration of justice from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from South Texas College (STC), highlighting his ties to the region he now represents.
As Border Czar, Banks reported directly to Governor Abbott. He ensured the execution of border security strategies in Texas through daily collaboration with the Texas Military Department (TMD), the Department of Public Safety (DPS), local officials, and landowners. He was integral to Operation Lone Star’s success in deterring illegal crossings, reducing drug trafficking, and addressing public safety concerns along the border.
As Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Banks is expected to leverage his extensive experience and demonstrated leadership abilities to tackle border security challenges on a national level. His career path, grounded in service and expertise, emphasizes his preparedness to guide the Border Patrol into a new era under the Trump administration.
