Border Patrol Actively Recruiting With Attractive Incentives

By Ken Molestina

EL PASO — The Bush Administration hopes to have 6,000 more agents in uniform patrolling our borders by the end of 2008 and the Border Patrol is aggressively recruiting to meet that goal.

Enticing applicants with more money and generous benefits packages, the Border Patrol division of Customs & Border Protection have taken out television advertisements, rolling billboards on cars with a budget of nearly $1 million in the El Paso sector alone.

A recruiting officer with the Border Patrol, Michelle Lebouf described what was being done to achieve the president’s mandate.

“Here within this sector, we have these vehicles that are fully wrapped with border patrol insignias. We’ve also been having national recruitment activities here,” Lebouf said.

In years past, officials said, they reliedon word-of-mouth recommendation and career fairs for recruitment. Now, they admit to pulling out all the stops to meet the challenge of 6,000 new agents by year’s end.

Now a base pay increase and larger upward steps in pay make the offer sweet enough to draw in new recruits like Carlos Mercado.

“I just had a baby boy, and I want to take care of my family in the future,” Mercado said.

In addition, Border Patrol recruiters said the agency raised the age limit for new recruits from 37 to 40. Those interested in applying can click on the link above.