Joseph A. Banco, Jr., Associate Chief, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC

Joseph A. Banco, Jr., has supported the United States for 31 years through combined military and government service. He was born in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the Istrian peninsula in 1962, which was ceded to Yugoslavia from Italy after World War II. As part of the peninsula’s assimilation into Yugoslavia, Mr. Banco’s family was forced to change the spelling of their name from Banco to Banko. The government would also decide who could obtain a higher education. Wanting a better life for their family, Mr. Banco’s parents moved to the United States in 1966. At the age of ten, Mr. Banco stood alongside his parents taking the Oath of Allegiance and pledging his commitment to the United States. With U.S. citizenship, the family returned to their original family name, Banco.

Mr. Banco is an Associate Chief with the Office of Chief at the U.S. Border Patrol within U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Washington, DC. Throughout his 31-year government career, Mr. Banco has consistently demonstrated that he is a distinguished public servant and has held several leadership positions. He began serving his country in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 17, defending our Nation for over 14 years as a Law Enforcement Specialist and Disaster Preparedness Manager, serving in Operation Desert Storm, and attaining the rank of Master Sergeant. He has continued that faithful service throughout his 16-year career in the U.S. Border Patrol serving on our Nation’s southwest, coastal, and northern borders as well as internationally.

Mr. Banco became a naturalized citizen in 1973.