Mike Banks, who spearheaded Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's strong border crackdown, is expected to be appointed to lead the U.S. Border Patrol after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in next week, according to sources familiar with the decision.

Banks will replace retiring Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, who plans to leave government service in April, CBS News reported Thursday.

Owens, a 28-year career officer with the Border Patrol, said in an internal message to agents that being the agency's chief was the "highest honor I have ever received."

"Looking ahead, I will leave with a profound sense of optimism about its future and that of our country," he added. "I will take comfort knowing that you are on our frontline, standing between the innocent and the evil."

Typically, Border Patrol chiefs are promoted from among career government officials rather than being political appointees. Banks is a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.

Texas in recent years has taken several measures to stem the Biden administration's border policies. This includes sending thousands of migrants by buses to major Democrat-led cities such as New York City and Chicago that declared themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.

Abbott also has deployed the National Guard to place razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande River and ordered troopers to arrest migrants and charge them with criminal trespassing.

Texas has also tried to enact an immigration law that would allow it to arrest and jail migrants who come across the border illegally, but that effort is tied up in the courts.

Banks, as Border Patrol chief, would oversee agents responsible for apprehending migrants who cross into the U.S. between official entry points or those reaching coastal areas by sea.

Meanwhile, Trump has tapped Rodney Scott to head the CBP.

Scott, a former Border Patrol chief during the first Trump administration, was ousted after President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

Trump also has chosen Tom Homan, a longtime Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, to lead his efforts of mass deportations of illegal immigrants and border security.

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