from the moral-turpitude-is-my-middle-name dept

Border Patrol Chief Dips Out After Bragging About His Sex Tourism To His Underlings

I’m not here to kink shame or suggest sex work isn’t work. I’m not here to claim that every sex worker is a victim of sex trafficking. I’m not even here to suggest that government officials shouldn’t be allowed to exchange money for goods and sexual services. If they’re not on the clock, I’m not here to judge their off-duty activities.

The problem here is that this person — the national chief of the Border Patrol — apparently insisted on making everyone aware of his off-duty activities. Those activities apparently included sex tourism. And it’s definitely not a great look when the destinations you’re bragging about are extremely problematic — the sort of places where sex trafficking is common and usually frequented by people looking for stuff that definitely isn’t legal in their home countries.

The Washington Times — which is generally very pro-conservative — first broke the news about national Border Patrol chief Michael Banks and his alleged fondness for overseas sex workers.

Banks “bragged” to colleagues while in his previous management role at Border Patrol about paying for sex with prostitutes while traveling in Colombia and Thailand over the course of a decade. 

Colombia has long been perceived to be under the control of drug cartels — the sort of thing that suggests a lot of sex work isn’t necessarily consensual. On top of that, it’s hardly the sort of place someone in a leadership position in the Border Patrol should be visiting for non-work-related reasons. That alone creates an “appearance of impropriety” that people smarter than Chief Banks would do well to avoid.

Thailand also has a reputation when it comes to sex work… and it’s the kind that should encourage people in government positions to steer far clear of it, even during their off-duty hours.

So, when a guy starts bragging about paying for sex in Colombia and Thailand, certain assumptions are made. And even if those assumptions are just assumptions, it’s impossible to avoid the uncomfortable fact that someone ostensibly in the business of deterring sex trafficking is spending his time and money in places where it’s likely to fund sex trafficking.

“He would tell people that’s why he was going on these trips — he would go there to engage in activities with prostitutes,” a second person said. “So I think those stories are out everywhere, and you can’t put them away or not give it attention because he was the one telling people about these trips.

“In our line of work, part of what we do is try to combat the trafficking of females, that is part of our job,” the same person said. “It’s counter to what we do or what we should be standing for. If you’re partaking in those activities, you’re supporting the trafficking and exploitation of women.”

The bragging Banks did drew the attention of Border Patrol oversight. According to the information provided to the Washington Times, Banks had actually been investigated more than once for his sex tourism.

But the second investigation into Banks and his sex tourism notably came to halt once Donald Trump returned to office and appointed one of his MAGA loyalists to head the DHS:

[T]he investigation ended abruptly while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in office, leading to more questions.

And while there are always going to be people who will say this is nothing more than a handful of anonymous assertions, Banks’ actions speak louder than these unattributed words:

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigned Thursday, telling Fox News, “It’s just time.”

Banks reportedly told Fox News that he “got the ship back on course” during his tenure.

Hmm. Those don’t seem like the actions of someone who believes they’ve been wrongly accused by their subordinates. Those are the actions of someone who wants to be gone before more information comes to light. After all, the last time Banks resigned was because his disagreed with President Biden’s border policies. Trump’s return to office resulted in Banks being appointed to his former position — one that he is now abandoning and it cannot possibly be for the same reasons he exited office the first time.

Despite the cloud hanging over his head, the Trump administration has lionized his truncated second act, making it appear as though it would be more than willing to erect a statue of Banks being blown by underage Thai sex workers to honor his second coming as national Border Patrol chief:

 “We thank U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks for his decades of service to this country and congratulate him on his second retirement after returning to serve during one of the most challenging periods for border security,” said U.S. Customs & Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott in a statement.

Imagine being applauded for quitting twice. That’s the Trump meritocracy in action. Banks abandoned the job once because it conflicted with his bigoted “principles.” He’s leaving for a second time because he doesn’t actually appear to have anything that could be considered “principles.” The CBP statement wishes Banks and his family well, but I can only imagine there are a million places Banks would rather be than back at home with his family. Assuming his visa is still valid, he’ll probably seek “comfort” overseas as soon as possible.