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Mars Hill, Maine – On Wednesday, the Houlton Sector Border Patrol sponsored Ski Free Night at the Big Rock Ski Resort in Mars Hill as part of their 2009 recruitment drive.

Border Patrol agents from the Houlton and Fort Fairfield Stations were on hand to answer questions for interested applicants and had computers available for applicants interested in applying on the spot.

Senior Patrol Agent Eric Lundgren said, “We saw this as a chance to do something positive for our community as well as a chance to get out there and meet potential applicants. We spend a large part of our day outdoors and are always looking for active people who enjoy outdoor activities as much as we do. This seemed like the perfect event for us.”

Many applicants expressed interest in the Northern Border Intern Program that allows new employees to return to the northern border after having completed the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, N.M., and a post-academy and field training period in a southwest sector. Traditionally, all entry level Border Patrol agents are initially assigned to the southwest border and must compete for positions along the northern border after completing their intern status. The Northern Border Intern Program allows new Border Patrol agents to start their careers on the northern border and is currently set to run until September 2009.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.