see also: in April 2008:   U. S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes $1.3 Million Worth of Counterfeit Cigarettes   Border Patrol Launches Rhode Island Search   Border Patrol Agent Search Launches in Atlanta   Two Weeks = Two Tons of Marijuana Seized at Arizona Port of Entry   CBP Officers in Texas Find $3 Million Worth of Dope in 'Empty' Sea Container   New Jersey CBP Officers Make $4 Million Heroin Candy Bar Bust   Border Patrol Agents Locate More Than Half Ton of Marijuana ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers   U.S. Border Patrol

contacts for this news release

Montgomery, Ala. — 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.

National Border Patrol recruiters will come to Montgomery from Monday, April 14 to Thursday, April 17, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Residence Inn Montgomery, 1200 Hilmar Court.

To meet a presidential mandate to increase federal law enforcement presence on the U.S. border, the agency will increase the strength of the Border Patrol, with 6,000 new agents, by the end of 2008. Hiring an unprecedented number of Border Patrol agents sparked efforts to expand its recruiting approach.

“Our campaign across the Southeast is as much about public education and raising the community’s awareness on why the Border Patrol exists and how it works to protect this country as it is for recruiting,” said Mike Douglas, a 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.”

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 15,000 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 95-day basic training academy in Artesia, N.M. as part of a two-year internship program. 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 the Border Patrol website or call 1-877-277-9527. ( U.S. Border Patrol )

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.