Texas border czar Mike Banks has been tapped to be the next US Border Patrol chief, sources told The Post Thursday.
Banks, a longtime former border agent himself, will serve as the federal agency’s 27th head under the Trump administration, according to a source familiar with his appointment.
He is set to replace Jason Owens.
Border Patrol sources told The Post that while Owens was well liked, agents are open to new leadership.
Banks will have to deal with immigration, a huge issue during Trump’s campaign. AP“An outside chief that wasn’t a career ladder climber might be exactly what we need to get us squared away again,” said one agency source.
“If this new guy’s got the balls to do what’s needed, then I’m all for it,” said another source.
Brent Smith, the attorney for Kinney county, which is situated along the Texas border, said in a post on X that “there is no one more qualified” for the position than Banks.
Until now, Banks has been serving as the Lone Star State’s first-ever border czar — a position created by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023 to deal with the unprecedented influx of illegal migrants pouring across the US border.
“For me, the #1 priority is to make the State of Texas the least desirable place for illegal immigration to cross,” Banks said when he took on the newly created role.
Abbott, at the time, said Banks’ focus would be responding to “President Biden’s open border policies.”
During his stint, Banks has repeatedly ripped Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their handling of the migrant crisis.
Harris was tasked by Biden in 2021 with working to address illegal immigration in the US and examine the “root causes” of border crossings — the role of “border czar,” but was accused of never fully committing herself to the role.
“If I had Kamala Harris’s failed border security track record, I’d deny being called ‘Border Czar’ too,” he fired off in a post on X last July.
“But unlike Kamala, I’m PROUD of Texas’ achievements in securing the border. We’ve worked hard to deter illegal immigration,” he continued. “Illegal immigration has decreased in Texas by 85%.”
Meanwhile, Banks has more than three decades of federal law enforcement leadership experience under his belt — including 23 years specifically tied to the US-Mexico border.
The Texas-native was the former agent in charge at the USBP’s Weslaco Station and has held various other positions in other border states, including Arizona and California.
Banks is also a former member of the US Navy Military Police.
The Post has reached out to the Trump team about the president-elect’s latest appointment.
