CBPGuy
7 Years Experience
SouthWest, US
Male, 25
I am a U. S. Customs and Border Protection Officer on the southwest border between Mexico and the United States. I know the ins and outs of the job as seen on TV/News and things intentionally hidden from the media! There's more to this job than "Anything to declare?" I dont know all but I'll do my best to answer any questions you have! All answers are my opinion, and my opinion only!
It actually is and its listed somewhere under a law. I cant seem to find it at the moment. However, you are NOT allowed to video record a CBP Officer's inspection, and absolutely no recording or use of cell phones in secondary inspection. You can however record the drive up to the border and thats about it.
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You need a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. You need to have no or very limited criminal history. You need to pass a written test. You need to pass a fitness test. Video based test. You need to pass a structured oral board interview. You need to pass a polygraph examination. You need to pass the academy. Then the job is yours! It took my about 2 years to get to the academy. The job is always posted on usajobs.gov
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We bar people all the time. When they enter illegally is typical when that enforcement action is used. I bar them for 5 years for first offense, 10 years for second, and 20 years for third. The judge bars them for life. All of this varies on case by case basis.
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I've discussed with Co workers this very topic over the years, and these are the top reasons that I gathered from them, which I also completely agree with as well.
In no particular order:1. Job security. The federal government always pays it's employees and always keeps them employed. It's very rare that a government shutdown happens, but after its all over we still get our paycheck. I have a lot of local cop friends who get nervous about pay cuts and fear being given a pink slip, especially those in small towns.
2. Pay. We are one of the highest, if not THE highest paid, law enforcement agency in the country. After 3 to 4 years, base pay is $75k. With overtime and differentials that adds to about $120k. That's just 4 years on the job..
3. Location. So yea the first few years might suck on the land border, but once you gain some seniority there's many beautiful places around the world where u can temporarily or permanently move to. Places like Dubai, Hawaii, the Bahamas, England, Ireland, Aruba.
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There has been a significant decline in the smuggling of marijuana but we still see it. We used to catch hundreds of pounds on a daily basis but that has gone down to hundreds on a weekly basis. We are starting to see a rise in meth, probably because the decline of demand for marijuana.
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Believe it or not, they are actually very helpful and we frequently communicate with them. We even have the Mexican consulate right in our port to help us with undocumented minors. When we expeditiously remove (informal deportation) Mexican nationals, we bring them to a section of the border fence where Mexican authorities are waiting to retrieve them. It goes both ways actually, because Mexican authorities regularly deport US Citizens, then we retrieve them.
They try to give us a heads up when protesters are coming up towards the border from Mexico. We give them a heads up when theres a high speed pursuit and a suspect is fleeing into Mexico. The Mexican authorities then take over in Mexico and deport the suspect back to us. Mexican federales also try to help us out to break up smuggling organizations as well.
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I am white, and I have been called racist towards Mexicans on very FEW occasions. You dont really see the race card played much. However, gender is a different story. Men don't really like taking orders from women, especially in the Mexican culture. I'm not being derogatory towards the culture, its just simple fact. Female officers have a much harder time gaining compliance from male subjects. However, I wouldn't mess with any of the female officers i've met. They are all pretty cut throat. They may come off rude, but now you see why.
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