Border Patrol chief resigns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Border Patrol chief has been forced out of the agency, a U.S. official told The Associated Press Thursday.

Chief Mark Morgan told senior Border Patrol agents about his ouster during a brief video conference Thursday morning. Morgan said he was asked to leave and rather than fight the request he opted to resign.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion was not intended to be made public.

Morgan's departure comes a day after President Donald Trump announced plans to build a wall at the Mexican border and hire 5,000 Border Patrol agents.

Commissioner's Statement on the Departure of U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan

On behalf of the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol, I want to thank Mark Morgan for his unwavering dedication to our border security mission, and recognize his life-long career in service to the nation.  Mark Morgan’s career spans more than 31 years of faithful service to the nation, including service in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a local deputy sheriff and police officer, 20 years in the FBI, as Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Internal Affairs, and, finally, as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.

I wish him every success in the future.

Kevin K. McAleenan

Acting Commissioner