Banks led the 19,500-member Border Patrol for nearly 16 months since President Donald Trump took office, but he had faced scrutiny in light of the revelations about his personal conduct. Customs and Border Protection has not yet announced Banks’s sudden retirement.

One senior administration official told the Washington Examiner that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin met privately with National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez on Wednesday to discuss Banks, in light of a second news story officials anticipated would come out on Thursday and paint Banks in a negative light. Perez and the union were heavily involved in selecting Banks to lead Border Patrol when Trump took office.

The same person said Mullin was cleaning house since taking office in March and replacing Kristi Noem as DHS secretary.

“To the men and women of the United States Border Patrol, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me to serve with you day in and day out, not just for the last year and half as your Chief but throughout my career,” said Banks’s letter. “It was never a goal of mine to become the Chief of the United States Border Patrol but given the opportunity I would do it again 100 times over. What we have accomplished together in the last year and a half is nothing short of amazing.…

“To the men and women that will continue to wear the uniform and protect this great nation defending our borders and our sovereignty know this; you are protecting and defending the sovereignty of the greatest nation in the history of the world, the nation that allowed a poor kid from a trailer park in central Georgia to not only serve his country in the military, but ultimately lead the finest law enforcement agency in this country as the Chief of the United States Border Patrol,” Banks continued. “I’ll forever be the greatest defender and supporter of the men and women of the United States Border Patrol and look forward to seeing all that you will continue to accomplish.”

The Washington Examiner reported on April 1 that Banks was known among colleagues for taking regular trips abroad to engage in sex with prostitutes.

Banks “bragged” to colleagues while in his previous management role at Border Patrol about paying for sex with prostitutes while traveling in Colombia and Thailand over the course of a decade, sources told the Washington Examiner. Banks’s behavior was said to have been investigated by CBP officials twice, including last year, but the investigation ended abruptly while Noem was in office, leading to more questions.

“I don’t know how he became the chief of the Border Patrol with his character,” a former Border Patrol agent told the Washington Examiner in a phone call, adding that the now-53-year-old Banks had personally pushed him to come along on one of the trips. “He’s going to third-world countries to take advantage of poor f***ing women, which disgusts the hell out of me.”

Prior to being selected for Border Patrol chief, Banks worked for Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) as the state’s border czar during the Biden administration.

Abbott has a long-standing relationship with the Border Patrol’s union, which endorsed the incumbent governor for a fourth term earlier this year. Banks’s wife, Mayra Banks, is a rank-and-file agent whom he met, dated, and married while he was a Border Patrol manager. She now sits on the union’s executive board, although the union’s website has not been updated to reflect that change.

“That’s how he got the Texas Border Czar position and how he got the Chief job (the Union made it happen on both accounts). He is entirely beholden to them,” the third person wrote in text messages in March. “It’s a mess.”

BORDER PATROL CHIEF MICHAEL BANKS HIT WITH PROSTITUTION ALLEGATIONS BY AGENTS

Mullin is responsible for selecting a replacement for Banks, given that the position is not a Senate-confirmed role.

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott announced the departure of Banks early Thursday afternoon.

“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,” Scott said in a statement. “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.”