Border Patrol Recruiters Coming to Chattanooga

CBP, the largest uniformed law enforcement agency in the country, extends its reach across the nation with the help of the U.S. Border Patrol Minority Recruitment Strike Team.

Border Patrol recruiters will come to Chattanooga from Wednesday, May 21 to Friday, May 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, May 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Residence Inn-Chattanooga Downtown at 215 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

"Our campaign in Tennessee is as much about public education and raising the community's awareness on the Border Patrol mission and how it works to protect this country as it is for recruiting," said Mike Douglas, Border Patrol assistant chief and Strike Team leader. "We offer a federal law enforcement career opportunity that is tough to match and we are working hard to ensure our agents reflect the face of America."

To fulfill a June 2006 presidential mandate, the Border Patrol stepped up recruiting efforts to hire 6,000 additional agents by the end of 2008. Since then, CBP has increased its number of Border Patrol Agents on board by over 3,500, for a current total of 16,176 agents now serving.

Along with the Border Patrol Minority Recruitment Strike Team, new outreach includes the second year of a NASCAR Nationwide Series Racing #28 car sponsorship, the launch of the simultaneous Border Patrol-initiated recruitment events across the country, and recruiting at U.S. military installations in the continental U.S. and abroad.

In January 2008, the U.S. Border Patrol Minority Recruitment Strike Team launched an aggressive recruiting campaign for qualified African American candidates. This is the first time in the Border Patrol's history that it has been able to put together a recruitment team comprised entirely of African American Border Patrol agents.

The focus of the recruitment campaign is to address and dispel common misconceptions that the African American community may have about becoming an agent, as well as to increase the percentage of minorities in the Border Patrol.

Of the approximately 16,000 Border Patrol agents across the country, there are eight African American women on the force, and three of whom are members of the Minority Recruitment Strike Team.

Currently, the Border Patrol has less than 1.5 percent African Americans within its ranks, as opposed to the Common Labor Force, which has more than 10 percent.

On-site recruiters will offer:

Answers to applicant questions;
Application assistance and online application submission;
Test taking tips;
Accounts of their career experiences protecting our nation's borders

What a Border Patrol Recruit Can Expect

Training is paid for Border Patrol recruits who earn between $36,000 and $46,000 in their first year, with the potential of earning up to $70,000 per year within three years of service. Other benefits include federal health insurance, life insurance and retirement, and up to 25 percent additional pay in overtime opportunities.

Successful Border Patrol candidates will complete a rigorous screening process, which includes a written examination and structured interview, language aptitude or Spanish proficiency test, along with a physical fitness test and medical examination.

Candidates hired for the position complete a 55-day basic training academy upon successfully passing a Spanish proficiency exam in the academy; all others will complete a 40-day Spanish immersion course upon completing basic training. All training is conducted in Artesia, N.M.

Initial assignments will be in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

Border Patrol Snapshot

The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico. One of the most important activities of a Border Patrol agent is line watch. This involves the detection, prevention and apprehension of terrorists, undocumented aliens and smugglers of aliens or illegal goods at or near the land border.

To find out more information, visit www.BorderPatrol.gov or call 1-877-277-9527 and when applying online, enter Recruiting Code: MINO.