Basics of an expansion of the Border Patrol

Apr. 22, 2007 11:20 AM

Basics of an expansion of the Border Patrol

QUALIFICATIONS: Recruits must have either a college education or a year of work experience that exposed them to stressful situations demanding quick decision-making. They are required to pass a drug screening, medical exam, physical fitness test and an interview by agency officials. They can't have felony or domestic violence convictions and must agree to a background investigation that reviews the last 10 years of their lives.

STARTING PAY: Ranges from $35,000 to $45,000, depending on the education and previous work experience of each agent. Officials said the job also could have opportunities for overtime that could push up an agent's salary up as much as 25 percent.

LENGTH OF TRAINING: Seventeen weeks at the Border Patrol Academy, followed by a two-year probationary period that includes field training.

PERSPECTIVE: The goal is to add 6,000 agents in just over two years. The last big expansion added nearly 5,000 new agents in a five-year hiring push that began in 1996.