EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration has scrambled behind the scenes to find a new U.S. Border Patrol chief who does not come with a history of scandal and inexperience, as its previous leader did.
Three sources familiar with the search process told the Washington Examiner that a final selection has been made, wrapping up a two-week sprint to find a new leader.
Rosario “Pete” Vasquez was selected late Thursday as the new national chief of Border Patrol. Vasquez is an agent of 26 years and the chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol’s northwestern region in Blaine, Washington. He previously worked in Yuma, Arizona, and San Diego; at the Border Patrol’s Washington headquarters; and as the assistant attaché for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Canada.
“I’ve worked with him for many years, and I know him to be a consummate professional who cares about the people,” former Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens wrote in a text message to the Washington Examiner on Friday morning. “I wish him well.”
A CBP official familiar with the decision described Vasquez as a “good man” who “will do well in the position.” A second CBP official described Vasquez as a “straight shooter … no nonsense forward-looking leader, who, as far as I know, is of high moral character.”
Michael Banks, whom the Border Patrol union had pushed for the job in 2024, abruptly retired this month following a Washington Examiner investigation into sex tourism allegations against the former chief.
Banks is viewed by six people who spoke with the Washington Examiner this week as the final figure of former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s era, a 14-month period in which DHS turned immigration enforcement into a flashy and aggressive campaign made for television. Banks was an ally to Noem, then-special government employee Corey Lewandowski, and former Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Greg Bovino. His departure gave DHS’s new secretary, Markwayne Mullin, the opportunity to set a new tone on immigration enforcement, particularly ahead of the midterm elections.
The quite literal overnight departure of Banks from the organization’s Washington headquarters left Border Patrol’s parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security suddenly pressed to find a successor.
Ordinarily, Border Patrol’s deputy chief would be next in line to succeed the chief. However, standard procedure was thrown out the window due to Deputy Chief Neil Slosar’s 11th-hour decision to retire this week.
The Border Patrol, which marked its 102nd anniversary on Thursday, has a deep bench of senior officials nationwide from whom it can select a new leader. Over the past two weeks, CBP leadership has looked at current and former regional chiefs across its 20 sectors, or regions, along the Canadian, Mexican, and southeastern borders.
Three sources familiar with leadership’s search criteria said CBP has prioritized integrity, work ethic, a focus on the workforce, and experience more so than in past searches, as opposed to who is favored by the union, which has personal ties to Washington leaders, and other factors that had previously been weighed more heavily. One criterion that it would not waiver on was selecting someone in Senior Executive Service, the top rank of career government employees, just below presidential appointees.
A former senior CBP official said in a text message that he supported CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott’s decision to focus on the “most ethical choice” and “getting back to career service selections based on qualifications (not a political appointee).”
Challenges in the search for a successor
The role of Border Patrol chief, overseeing roughly 20,000 federal law enforcement agents nationwide, is not a political appointment or Senate-confirmed position. It is up to the DHS secretary, in consultation with the CBP commissioner, to select a chief.
The challenge has been that several candidates who rose to the top of CBP’s list stood little chance of being approved by the union, which, on paper, has no authority to decide the head of the Border Patrol but has heavily influenced the process since its endorsement of President Donald Trump during the 2016 election cycle.
“The union is the one that’s controlling [it], and they don’t have a good record,” a source familiar with the administration’s pick for chief wrote in a text message. “It’s being controlled by the union. I think President Trump thinks he won [in 2016] because of the Border Patrol.”
However, sources told the Washington Examiner that the union was telling agents on Friday it had chosen Vasquez for the job, even though CBP and DHS had not yet made an announcement, calling into question how big a role the union actually played in the selection process.
Banks, whose spouse is a Border Patrol union executive, retired from a Border Patrol managerial role in 2023. He then worked as Texas border czar for Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) during part of the Biden administration.
Banks’s appointment was largely opposed by Border Patrol personnel, from rank-and-file agents to senior officials, due to his union ties, reputation, and lack of senior experience.
The National Border Patrol Council’s national president, Paul Perez, did not respond to a request for comment on the union’s preferences and influence in the selection process.
The first CBP official said Vasquez would have to “unBanks a lot.”
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“Banks made some terrible decisions,” the official said. “Basically did whatever the union said. The Chief should have a very good, professional relationship with the union but Banks did whatever they wanted.”
The DHS said on Friday morning that it had no decision to announce on the next Border Patrol chief.