WASHINGTON _ The chief of the Border Patrol will leave his post at the end of the month, likely the result of a change in direction by the Trump administration and a reflection of the new power of the agency's union.
Mark Morgan, the agency's head, was hired from the FBI in June to reform the force after a series of corruption allegations and problems with excessive force. He will leave the Border Patrol abruptly after seven months on the job, according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Morgan's departure was first reported by The Associated Press.
Morgan spent 20 years at the FBI and was first brought to Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency, in 2014 to overhaul its internal affairs division. After a subsequent stint running the FBI's training academy, he started the top job at the Border Patrol in June.
The Border Patrol's union had opposed Morgan's appointment, preferring a candidate who had risen through the ranks of the agency.
The union endorsed President Donald Trump in the election, breaking with its practice of remaining neutral in elections.
News of Morgan's departure comes a day after Trump announced he would build a border wall and hire 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, bringing the total force to 26,000. Trump said the Border Patrol union would have a lot of clout in department decisions.
