WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Border Patrol, the agency tasked with securing the nation’s frontiers and increasingly tapped by the Trump administration for immigration operations in American cities, announced his resignation Thursday.
Michael Banks’ decision, announced in a Fox News interview and later confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, is the latest leadership shake-up of officials implementing President Trump’s immigration crackdown and comes as the Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach.
“It’s just time,” Banks was quoted as saying in a report on the Fox News website. “I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,” he said.
In a statement, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, Rodney Scott, thanked Banks for his service “during one of the most challenging periods for border security.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately clear who will replace Banks. He led an agency at the forefront of Trump’s high-profile immigration enforcement efforts but kept a lower profile than some other officials such as Gregory Bovino, a now-retired commander who became a public face of the city operations.
CBP is one of the federal agencies that participated since last year in a series of immigration enforcement operations, carried out primarily in cities governed by Democrats —an effort that triggered a spike in arrests and led to the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis this year at the hands of federal immigration officers.
Banks’ resignation takes place two months after Markwayne Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, became homeland security secretary. DHS oversees CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
Banks is stepping down at the same time that ICE is also going through a leadership transition. Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, is leaving later this month and will be replaced by David Venturella, who worked for years for private contractors before returning to government service.
CBP was established in 2003 and handles customs, immigration, and agricultural regulations to secure U.S. borders.
Banks returned to the Border Patrol last year after a long agency career that had never landed him in its senior ranks. His star had risen as border czar to Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, during a period when illegal crossings reached record highs and the state launched a multibillion-dollar enforcement surge that led to turf battles with the Biden administration.
Banks kept a relatively low public profile as arrests for illegal crossings that have plunged to their lowest levels since the mid-1960s, a trend that began toward the end of that Democratic administration.
Banks did not appear publicly at the Border Security Expo this month in Phoenix, an annual conference at which government officials update contractors on the state of the border. Scott, who was Banks’ supervisor, is a close ally of Trump border czar Tom Homan and has acted more as the agency’s public face.
In the interview with Fox News, Banks said that after 37 years, “it’s time to enjoy the family and life.”
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A recent development in the Black Sea drone war has seen a Russian Navy patrol boat appear with a screen, commonly known as a “cope cage,” on top of its superstructure to help protect against drones. Whether the modification is a one-off or part of a broader plan, it emphasizes the growing ubiquity of drone threats, a reality that the U.S. Navy is also increasingly having to contend with.
Two photos showing Russian Navy Project 21980 Grachonok class patrol boats underway in the Black Sea were published by Ukrainian defense adviser Serhii Sternenko. The photos were reportedly taken this month, but it’s not clear if they show the same vessel (in one photo, the Russian Navy flag is flying from a mast, and in the other, it is not).
Another view of a Russian Navy Project 21980 Grachonok class patrol boat underway in the Black Sea, with anti-drone protection, but no Russian Navy flag flying. via X
A view of the ballistic missile submarine Tula’s conning tower with an apparent counter-drone screen installed. Russia-24 capture
The Project 21980 vessel is described by Russia as a multi-purpose anti-saboteur boat. Primarily designed to protect ports and other naval installations, they are used by the Russian Navy as well as the Border Service. Around 30 of the vessels have been completed since 2008.
According to Ukrainian sources, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet operates nine Project 21980 boats, while another four are assigned to the Border Service.
Displacing around 150 tons, the Project 21980 is a little over 100 feet long and can be armed with a 14.5 mm machine gun, anti-sabotage grenade launchers, and an Igla-series man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). Ironically, the Russian media has, in the past, heralded the success of the Grachonok class during exercises in which the vessel was used to detect and destroy uncrewed aerial vehicles (as well as uncrewed surface vessels and other small-sized surface targets).
The cope cage covers most of the surface area of the vessel, with three distinct levels: a first section protecting the area above the stern; a second section mounted above the bridge and projecting aft of it, but below the antenna array; and a third section aft of the main superstructure. The sides of the vessel appear entirely unprotected; this may well be to allow normal operations such as docking. Furthermore, access here is required to operate the weapons, as well as the rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) that is typically stowed at the stern, and which is deployed and recovered by crane.
Considering the normal mounting of the machine gun on the bow and the grenade launchers firing aft from the rear of the superstructure, it’s not clear how these weapons function after the cope cage is fitted. At the very least, the additional protection screens would appear to significantly reduce their fields of fire, limiting them to a very depressed trajectory.
The Project 21980 patrol boat Vladimir Nosov attends the Navy Day Parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 31, 2022. Photo by Contributor/Getty Images Contributor#8523328
Moreover, while the cope cage provides a degree of overhead protection against drone-delivered munitions, it can be easily seen how a skilled drone operator would be able to find a gap in the protection. FPV drones, in particular, are highly maneuverable and have already demonstrated their ability to penetrate inside armored vehicles through open hatches and into buildings through whatever openings might be available. In this case, flying a drone around the static cope cages would not appear to be too difficult.
The threat of Ukrainian naval drones was most recently underscored in an incident on the night of April 30, when, according to reports, a Border Service PSKA-300 class patrol boat was struck, close to the Kerch Bridge. A photograph subsequently published on a Telegram channel showed a memorial plaque indicating that nine members of the Russian crew were killed in the strike. Ukrainian reports suggest that, as well as the PSKA-300, a Project 21980 Grachonok class patrol boat was also hit in the same raid.
🚨⚓ BREAKING: Ukrainian Navy struck Russian patrol boats guarding the Kerch Bridge overnight on April 30.
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 30, 2026
The PSKA-300 and Project 21980 are both regularly used to patrol the waters around the Kerch Bridge, linking mainland Russia with occupied Crimea, which is a regular target of Ukrainian strikes.
As the war has progressed, the threat of Ukrainian aerial drones has been extended into the Black Sea.
Last summer, we reported on how Ukraine had begun using so-called bomber drones launched from USVs to attack targets in Crimea. The occupied peninsula is especially target-rich, hosting high-value Russian radar and air defense systems, as well as military aircraft. In that context, Ukraine using similar weapons to target Russian surface vessels in the Black Sea should come as no surprise.
A Project 21980 patrol boat takes part in Russian Navy exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, outside the Syrian port of Tartus, on February 15, 2022. Photo by RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Anadolu
Bomber drones launched from drone boats offer various advantages. They give Ukrainian operators the ability to strike more than one target per drone with heavier warheads than typical FPV drones usually carry. They can also travel farther while maintaining their connection, as they don’t have to dive to the ground to hit their targets. As we have reported in the past, Ukraine also has bomber drones that can launch guided munitions with a heavier punch. All of these would offer a significant threat to Russian vessels in the Black Sea.
A Baba Yaga captured by Russian forces. This is, to date, the best-known type of Ukrainian bomber drone. via Telegram
Already, Ukrainian actions have effectively forced the Black Sea Fleet to vacate Crimea and instead operate from Novorossiysk, although this hasn’t removed the Ukrainian threat entirely.
As well as heavier and more capable bomber drones, Ukrainian drone boats are also increasingly being used as platforms for launching FPV drones. Back in 2024, the first evidence emerged that Ukraine was using a capability like this, with aerial drones being launched from USVs as part of its campaign of attacks on Russian offshore platforms.
Meanwhile, it was reported recently that the HX-2 strike drone, from German manufacturer Helsing, has been adapted for launch from small boats. The company states that the HX-2s feature standoff range and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled capabilities that make them resistant to electronic warfare systems, and can be employed in networked swarms.
🇩🇪 German HX-2 strike drone, which is used by 🇺🇦Ukraine, has been adapted for deployment from boats, – Militarnyi
Helsing reported that it successfully conducted the first launch of the drone from a coastal vessel. pic.twitter.com/PAujJE2Wd5
Further proliferation of FPV drones and new missions for these types include a growing emphasis on using them in a coastal defense capacity. Here, again, patrol boats like the Project 21980 would be exposed to additional threats.
Overall, questions remain about how effective the drone protection on the Project 21980 patrol boat might be in practice. However, the emergence of the fixture again underscores Russia’s concerns about the dangers posed by Ukrainian weaponized drones. This is a threat that is now very real across all domains and one that is steadily growing worldwide.
IF you are stuck for ideas for the kids this summer, no need to panic…just yelp for help and the heroes of hit kids cartoon Paw Patrol will come to the rescue.
As a mum of three, over the past decade I have watched more than my fair share of the hit Nickelodeon kids show which follows the rescue exploits of a team of talking, cartoon puppies under the supervision of 10-year-old boy Ryder.
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The UK’s first World of Paw Patrol has finally opened at ChessingtonCredit: PAMy family was one of the first to visit and I was surprised how good it was for ALL ages of kids
The new £15million land vibrantly brings to life the cartoon’s world of Adventure Bay making young visitors feel as though they have just stepped directly into the cartoon.
Cleverly designed with little ones in mind, it covers 1.4 acres, although the land manages to have a safe, self-contained feel.
From the trees, to the vehicles, to the models of the characters which populate the land-they all look exactly like they have been transplanted from the show.
And standing, beaconlike at the centre is the iconic Paw Patrol Lookout Tower which famously serves as Pup HQ in the show.
Four brand new rides bring the pup’s adventures to life in thrilling style.
There’s the big rollercoaster ride Chase’s Mountain MissionCredit: Not known, clear with picture deskIt isn’t the most thrilling for older kids but it is the perfect entry level rollercoaste
The World of Paw Patrol’s flagship attraction is Chase’s Mountain Mission, a small scale rollercoaster aimed at younger children (although they still have to be 0.9m tall to ride).
It’s a well thought out experience as children enter the coaster at the bottom of the Lookout Tower via sliding doors – just like in the show where they are then given the sensation of shooting to the top in a lift – again just like in the show.
A video brief on their ‘mission’ tells them the town’s chicken mad and gaff prone Mayor (who ardent viewers know is often the subject of rescue efforts) has been left stranded on a tightrope thanks to a pesky, baguette eating eagle and kids are asked to help.
Young adventurers then emerge at the rollercoaster’s loading station for the ride – while hardly white-knuckle, it has a few bends and zips along at a pace perfect as an entry level rollercoaster for more nervous riders.
But our family favourite Paw Patrol was without doubt Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure.
The orange boats look exactly like they could have floated straight from the show.
Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure is the first ‘drifter ride’ in the UK
There is a claim to fame here too as it is the UK’s first ‘drifter’ ride meaning it gives the sensation of hovering above ground.
It is super spinney and fast and kids get to pull a leaver in the car to make it rocket out at an angle.
It’s thrilling, kind of like a cross between a bumper car and the fairground waltzer.
Even my eldest son who is 12 wanted to repeatedly ride this one…
Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue sees young thrillseekers whooshed around horizontally, yet fairly gently, in a giant red bus.
“It makes my tummy go funny!” Estella squealed with glee.
And youngsters get to soar high in the sky again above World Of Paw Patrol in soar high in Skye’s dazzling pink helicopters.
At its centre of the land isn’t the rides but ‘Rubble and Rocky’s Playzone.’
All of my kids loved something in the new Paw Patrol themed landFrom my five-year-old to my 12-year-old – they were all impressed
This is a gloriously, undulating and colourful play areas where younger visitors can explore Adventure Bay on their own terms.
They can crawl through tunnels, barrel down mini slides and clamber around the familiar sites from the show like Rocky’s waste truck and Captain Turbot’s Sea Patroller.
There is also a cute designated snack stand serving Paw Patrol branded treats and, of course, the obligatory gift shop – but parents beware, because boy what a gift shop it is!
For pup mad kids it will be heaven with aisles and aisles of every piece of Paw Patrol merchandise you can think of, including an entire wall of soft toy versions of the characters.
Each room sleeps up to two adults and three children.
Don’t forget to try the Paw Patrol themed hotel rooms tooCredit: Chris Read-Jones/Chessington World Of Adventures
Young ones would no doubt happily spend all day in World of Paw Patrol, but if course entry price also gives you free reign of all that Chessington has to offer including animal attractions, shows and brilliant thrill rides.
So for a family like mine, with kids spanning in age from 5 to 12, it offers a great day out with something for everyone.
What could be more Pawsome than that?
Tickets to Chessington start from £32pp while PAW Patrol hotel stays start from £155 for a family of four (including breakfast, early ride access and bronze fast-track pass)
The new land will add playful puppy-themed fun to Chessington and comes with new rides, places for kids to play, as well as meet and greets with the much-loved hero doggy characters
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The colourful new land will include four new rides(Image: Merlin)
Chessington World of Adventures has finally revealed the opening date of its long-anticipated PAW Patrol land, and parents will be pleased to hear that the gates will be open to meet the pups before May half-term.
From May 3, kids and their parents will be able to enjoy a brand-new and very colourful PAW Patrol-themed area at Chessington in a new £15 million immersive experience.
The date also coincides with the early May bank holiday, so parents may wish to book Chessington tickets now to avoid missing out on this paw-some experience. At the heart of the new land are four kid-friendly rides, each one inspired by a different pup from the brave crew.
The land’s four new rides are: Chase’s Mountain Mission, Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue, Skye’s Helicopter Heroes, and Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure, which also claims to be the UK’s first ‘Drifter’ ride. The 1.4 acre land will also have three themed play areas, perfect for little pups to burn off energy, and include Rubble & Rocky’s Play Zone where they can climb and crawl through a maze of construction parts.
At The Flounder Boat Play, kids can enjoy a high-seas adventure with Captain Turbot, and there will also be themed food and drink offerings throughout the area. And of course, there will be a gift shop with plenty of PAW Patrol themed merch to take home as a souvenir. Regular meet and greets will also take place, so kids can get a photo with their favourite hero.
And if simply spending the day at Adventure Bay wasn’t enough, fans of the pups can also book a PAW Patrol themed room at the resort’s hotels. These colourful and fun rooms are fully-themed including bunk beds shaped like the pups’ rescue vehicles and colourful murals. Guests also enjoy early access to the park from 9am, allowing parents with young kids to get on the rides with minimal queues.
The park is the UK’s first and only land themed around PAW Patrol, a series that has become massively popular among pre-schoolers. The series airs on Channel 5 and Nickelodeon, as well as streaming on Paramount+.
Chessington isn’t the only park getting a new themed land this year. Over at Paultons Park guests will be able to enjoy the new Valgard — Realm of the Vikings land from May 16. This will include a new rollercoaster and swing ride.
Crealy Theme Park is also adding two new rides to its offerings for summer 2026, although dates are still to be confirmed. This includes Pirates’ Plummet, which claims it’ll be the tallest ride in the south west, and Rotor, an inverting flat ride which will spin passengers around and upside-down for a “heart pounding adventure”.
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April 14 (UPI) — A budget resolution to fund federal immigration enforcement could hit the Senate floor by next week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday, as Republicans seek to bypass Democratic demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Federal funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol lapsed on Feb. 14 after Republicans agreed with the Democrats to remove the Department of Homeland Security from a larger spending package and avert a government shutdown.
Neither agency has been funded through regular DHS appropriations since, though they continue operating through other, emergency funding.
Democrats began demanding reforms to the federal immigration enforcement agencies before agreeing to restore funding after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal immigration officers amid President Donald Trump‘s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Amid a stalemate in negotiations, Republicans are considering passing three years of funding for the agencies through a complicated legislative mechanism called a budget reconciliation bill that permits certain spending legislation to pass with a simple majority rather than 60 votes, Thune told reporters Tuesday in the Capitol.
“Republicans are going to stand with our Border Patrol, with our law enforcement agencies and we’re going to ensure that they are funded, not only today but well into the future,” Thune, R-S.D., said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is preparing the resolution to fund the agencies that will be followed by the reconciliation bill “to ensure the job gets done,” he said.
Democrats have blocked funding for ICE and Border Patrol until reforms — including requiring judicial warrants and banning officers from wearing masks — are made, but the reconciliation bill tactic could ensure funding without any votes from Democratic lawmakers.
The same tactic was used last year to pass Trump’s sweeping spending and tax cut bill, which provided $75 billion for ICE.
“All of the things that the Democrats made this about, which was supposed to be about reforms to the way that ICE and Border Patrol operate — they get none of that,” Thune said.
“And now, we’re going to fund those agencies for three years into the future. The only thing the Democrats got out of this was they now own the issue of open borders and defund law enforcement.”
Republicans hold a narrow 53-47 majority in the Senate, with two independents caucusing with the Democrats, as well as a 218-213 majority in the House.
The Senate has twice passed bipartisan bills to fund DHS aside from ICE and Border Patrol, which the House has balked at. Democrats blame the Trump administration’s influence on the lower chamber.
“Republicans are dragging the Senate through a partisan circus just to avoid basic accountability for ICE and Border Patrol,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters at the Capitol during a separate press conference on Tuesday.
He said Democrats will continue to push for immigration enforcement reforms.
“So, the pattern, unfortunately, with this administration is clearer and clearer,” the veteran New York Democrat said. “Chaos abroad — the war; chaos at home with not funding DHS with reforms. A failed war overseas, a manufactured crisis here in Washington — in both cases Republicans aren’t leading, they are following orders.”
