see also: in CBP News Releases:   CBP Announces New Port Director at Friday Harbor   California CBP Officers Intercept 136 Pounds of Cocaine in Separate Incidents   Border Patrol Foils Underground Smuggling Ploy   CBP Officers Receive Sweet Rewards over Valentine Weekend   CBP Discovers Homicide Suspect is Illegal Alien Wanted on $1 Million Bail   I-15 Traffic Stops Uncover Caches of Cocaine, Marijuana   Rio Grande Valley CBP Officers Seize More than $1.2 Million in Cocaine, Marijuana; Arrested Woman and 8 Men Over Holiday Weekend ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers   CBP Hosts 'New Year, New Career' Job Fair

contacts for this news release

Washington - U.S. Customs and Border Protection Saturday launched a national recruitment campaign aimed at hiring approximately 11,000 law enforcement and support positions during 2009.

Nationwide, approximately 22,400 applicants attended the one-day event, which sought to raise public awareness on CBP’s mission and broad career options, along with providing potential applicants information on how to apply for a CBP job. ( CBP Hosts 'New Year, New Career' Job Fair )

Fifteen locations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico held open houses Saturday, hosted by recruiters from CBP including the three law enforcement branches that make up CBP, the nation’s largest uniformed law enforcement agency: Field Operations, providing port of entry security operations, Border Patrol and Air and Marine.

Each location had tremendous turnout and more than 18,000 people attended in the six top cities that included:

• Detroit - 6,000+
• Laredo, Texas - 6,000
• San Diego - 2,100
• Miami - 1,500
• New Orleans - 1,500
• Tucson, Ariz. - 1,400

For more information on CBP National Career Day or to apply online please visit the CBP Web site. CBP is an equal opportunity employer and women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

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.