Customs and Border Protection wants to hire military - Military Careers, Second Careers - Air Force Times

Customs and Border Protection wants to hire military

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is recruiting for 11,000 jobs that need to be filled by the end of this fiscal year, and it’s focusing heavily on transitioning service members.

In all, 24 percent of the agency’s employees are veterans, according to a news release.

“CBP has historically hired a large percentage of veterans,” said Joe Abbot, the agency’s director of national recruitment, in a prepared statement. “Today, it is more relevant than ever to make use of the training, discipline and talent that our military personnel can bring to a number of CBP occupations.”

Of the agency's 47,000 employees, about 18,500 are Customs and Border Protection officers and about 15,000 are Border Patrol agents, who patrol U.S. land borders for undocumented people and smugglers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection expects to hire about 4,950 new Border Patrol agents and 2,400 Customs and Border Protection officers during this fiscal year. Border Patrol agents start their careers along the Southwest border.

CBP also employs agriculture specialists, air and marine interdiction agents, attorneys, attachés, auditors, chemists, engineers, forensic scientists, human resource specialists, IT specialists, intelligence research specialists, pilots, project managers, policy analysts and technicians.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is to protect the nation’s borders and ports, to prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering the country and to facilitate legitimate travel and trade, according to the news release.

In 2007, the agency screened 414 million people and 26 million containers entering the U.S., seizing 3.2 million pounds of illegal drugs and $155 million in counterfeit goods. Agents arrested more than 25,000 people — including 9,000 wanted criminals — at ports of entry and apprehended more than 876,000 illegal aliens between ports of entry.

If you’re interested in a career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, visit one of the following recruiting events, or check the agency’s Web site for a future event near you.

Houston

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 2

Marriott Houston Medical Center

6580 Fannin St., Houston

Abilene, Texas

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 2

Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel

5203 S. 1st St., Abilene

Oklahoma City

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 9

Four Points by Sheraton Will Rogers World Airport

6300 Terminal Drive, Oklahoma City

New Orleans

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 9

Hilton New Orleans Riverside

2 Poydras St., New Orleans

Tulsa, Okla.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 9

Hilton Tulsa Southern Hills

7900 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, Okla.

Cleveland

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 9

Renaissance Cleveland Hotel

24 Public Square, Cleveland

Fort Stewart, Ga.

Feb. 23

Time and venue to be announced.

Savannah, Ga.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 23

Westin Savannah Harbor

1 Resort Drive, Savannah

Kansas City, Kan.

Feb. 23

Time and venue to be announced.

Wichita, Kan.

Feb. 23.

Time and venue to be announced.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 1-2

The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel

100 Brumbaugh St., San Juan

Denver

March 8

Time and venue to be announced.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 8

DoubleTree Hotel World Arena

1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.

Fort Bragg, N.C.

March 8

Time and venue to be announced.