U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks’ resignation is the latest from a key position in President Donald Trump’s administration during his second term.
The exits span senior roles across national security and immigration enforcement, as well as the Cabinet, and have come alongside other high-profile departures.
While several officials have framed their decisions as personal or career moves, others have stepped down in protest or amid controversy.
Michael Banks: Border Patrol Chief
On Thursday, Banks told Fox News he was resigning as head of U.S. Border Patrol effective immediately after stepping into the leadership position when Trump took office in January 2025.
Banks framed his departure as a personal decision, saying, “It’s just time,” and adding he had helped get “the ship back on course” from “the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen.”
Rodney Scott, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, praised Banks in a statement to Newsweek, saying: “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.”
Todd Lyons: Acting ICE Director
Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is set to leave his post at the end of May.
Federal officials said Lyons would depart government service to move into the private sector. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described him as “a great leader of ICE” and credited his role in the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
According to The New York Times’ review of Lyons’ letter to Mullin, he said that he intended to step down to spend more time with his family.
According to the newspaper, in the letter, Lyons wrote in part, “My sons are both reaching a pivotal point in their lives, and my wife and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them,” adding that the decision was difficult but right for his family at this time.
Longtime ICE official David Venturella has since been chosen to lead the agency.
Joe Kent: National Counterterrorism Center Director
Joe Kent resigned in March 2026 as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, in one of the most high‑profile departures tied to policy disagreement.
In his resignation letter, Kent said he could not support the administration’s war in Iran, writing that he could not “in good conscience” back the conflict and arguing that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
When Trump nominated Kent he praised his military and intelligence background, calling him a former Green Beret and CIA officer who had “hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life.”
However, after his resignation, Trump sharply rejected Kent’s assessment, telling reporters it was “a good thing that he’s out” and criticizing him as “weak on security.”
Former Marine Joe Weirsky is now in the leadership role as acting director.
Lori Chavez‑DeRemer: Labor Secretary
Lori Chavez‑DeRemer stepped down as Labor Secretary in April, becoming one of the most senior officials to leave Trump’s Cabinet this year, after multiple abuse of power allegations, including that she had an affair with a subordinate and had drunk alcohol on the job, as reported by The Associated Press.
She was the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post following the departures of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The White House said she would be “leaving the administration to take a position in the private sector,” and praised her tenure, saying she had done a “phenomenal job” advancing the administration’s agenda.
Chavez‑DeRemer thanked Trump in a public statement, saying it had been an “honor and a privilege” to serve and highlighting the department’s accomplishments under her leadership.
Regarding the allegations, Chavez-DeRemer posted on her personal X account: “The allegations against me, my family, and my team have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors who have been coordinating with the one-sided news media and continue to undermine President Trump’s mission.”
Gregory Bovino: Border Patrol Commander
Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander, announced his retirement in March 2026 after playing a central role in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Bovino described his time in the role as “the greatest honor” of his career, reflecting on his work alongside agents across the country.
His tenure was marked by high‑profile and controversial enforcement operations in major U.S. cities including Minnesota, where U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents.
He had been reassigned from Minnesota earlier in the year before confirming his retirement.
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