US Border Patrol Hiring in Multi-City Job Fair

US Customs and Border Protection, which is seeking to hire more than 11,000 people this year, is sponsoring a 15-city job fair.

No experience necessary. “At our academy, we will teach you what you want to know,” said Tara Dunlop, a Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson. “There are so many different career tracks in this agency. You don’t necessarily have to carry a gun.”

There are openings for 3,000 customs and border patrol officers, 4,600 border patrol agents, 3,000 mission and operations support staff, 350 agriculture specialists, and 300 air & marine officers.

“We have gone through unprecedented expansion in the last several years,” Dunlop said. “We need additional folks.”

Job fairs are scheduled this Saturday, January 31st, in Grand Forks, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York, Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, Washington, Buffalo, Laredo, El Paso, Tucson; Blaine, Washington, and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

It’s the first nationwide job fair for the agency, Dunlop said.

The jobs have a starting salary range of about $35,000 to $45,000, depending on qualifications. Workers who meet performance standards are bumped up to around $55,000 after two years. Border Patrol agents can earn an additional 25% of their base salaries each year in overtime pay.

Applicants must be US citizens, have lived in the country for the last three years, and be under age 40 at time of appointment. All trainees are required to learn Spanish.

About 25 percent of employees in the agency are military veterans.