Mike Banks, who retired from Border Patrol 10 days ago, will work as 'border czar' to speed up border wall construction. Gov. Greg Abbott didn't specify Banks' duties or pay when announcing the position's creation.
, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.announced Monday the creation of a Texas “border czar” and said he has appointed a recently retired Border Patrol agent to that position who will “tap his expertise to deploy strategies that reduce illegal immigration and keep our community safe.”
Banks said his top priority in his new job “is to make the state of Texas the least desirable place for illegal immigration to cross. I don't think it’s going to be that difficult. ... We just need to be more aggressive.” During the Monday news conference in San Benito, Abbott said “combating illegal immigration in Texas is a full-time job,” and “requires a leader whose only focus is responding” to the president’s immigration policies.Abbott said Banks worked for the Border Patrol for more than 20 years, serving under four presidents, including as the agent in charge of Border Patrol stations in Weslaco and McAllen.
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