“We are the United States Border Patrol, who will go anywhere in the United States of America, apprehend illegal aliens, prosecute them, and return them to their country or to a country that are amenable to be returned to,” Banks said.

“Gone are the days where, if you got past the U.S. Border Patrol, you were free to go, you were free to live out your life and not have to worry about deportation,” Banks said.

The Border Patrol has traversed the West Coast, East Coast, north and south over the past six months, going deep inside the country. Agents are normally stationed along the border to guard against people, goods, and vehicles that attempt to enter unchecked between ports of entry.

However, they have legal authority to enforce federal immigration laws anywhere in the country and were called in earlier this year by the DHS to assist ICE. The large majority of Border Patrol’s nearly 20,000 agents remain on the border.

Border Patrol agents arrived in Los Angeles in June before moving on to Portland and Washington, D.C., in August, where they enforced federal immigration laws as local police detained and arrested suspected criminals in the community amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime.

Agents headed to Chicago in early October, as well as Memphis, Tennessee, before going down to Charlotte and New Orleans. The leader of the operation at-large is Gregory Bovino, the chief patrol agent of the El Centro, California, region.

US Border Patrol taking in North Michigan Ave. on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Yubc9QQEv3

— Rick Pearson (@rap30) September 28, 2025

Agents have been met by protesters and riots in some cities as some residents fight the arrival of federal law enforcement.

As far as Border Patrol’s next move, Banks said his agents stand ready but remain at ICE’s beck and call.

Although it may appear that Border Patrol goes to whichever city it chooses, Banks said his agents are supporting ICE.

“I will continue to provide the manpower and resources to support ICE anywhere they need it in the United States of America to eradicate illegal immigration in this country,” Banks said.

Having Border Patrol agents operate within the country, as opposed to only on the border, is also intended to send a message to illegal immigrants, Banks said.

“Every time we kick off a new city and operation at-large, we watch our self-deports under CBP Home [phone app] go up. We watch attempts to enter the country on the border illegally — we watch them go down because it sends a clear message that you don’t just have to get past the U.S. Border Patrol at the river or along the international line with Canada,” Banks said. 

The DHS touted in early December that 1.9 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. had voluntarily departed the U.S. since Trump took office.

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Bovino warned in a post to X in early December that “Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte were just the beginning.”

“We are going to arrest you… do you understand?” Bovino’s post stated.