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!
The airport can get fairly boring. For the first several years of your career, you will be posted at "Primary" where you either grant admission to alien's (Entry for US Citizens) or refer suspect individuals for further scrutiny.
Once you have a few years on your belt, you can bid for a secondary position. This is where you will be determining with you will allow someone to enter the United States or return them back to their home country.
There are also other specialty teams where you patrol the airport in vehicles, perform hot stops, interview subjects etc. Those positions, however, are few far and between at airports.
As for education, you only need a high school diploma or GED. Of course, a college degree will make you more noticeable and may start you at a higher pay but it's not necessary.
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As a GS-12 (pay scale), I earn about $110,000 a year with overtime. The pay scale goes like this:
GS-5 (first year) = $35,000GS-7 (second year) = $43,000GS-9 (Third Year) = $52,000GS-11 (Fourth Year) = $62,000GS-12 (Fifth Year) = $76,000
After you hit GS 12, every year or so you get a raise of about $2,000 to $3,000. All the numbers mentioned above are approximate and include my additional locality pay.
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When I went through FLETC, we had 1 to 2 classes graduating every week. Now its slowed down a bit, so its about 1 a month. FLETC is 4.5 months long, not including 6 weeks of Spanish training. In CBP, all armed positions and Agriculture Specialists go to FLETC, the others do not.
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Yes. People forget that we are law enforcement officers. We handcuff people for a number of reasons, it does not necessarily mean your under arrest. If I think it'll be safer for everyone if i handcuff you before I search your car, I am completely justified in doing so. We must always take officer safety into account. If your twice my size and intoxicated, I am going to handcuff you so the situation does not turn ugly.
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School Bus Driver
Do the kids treat you with the same amount of respect as other authority figures at school?
Call Center Employee (Retail)
When do your policies allow you to hang up on a rude caller?
Professional Reseller
What was your most valuable find in a thrift store?
For work purposes, you are only allowed to carry, on duty, agency issued weapons. If it is not agency issued, you should not have it. However, some POE's may have different policies in regards to that due to being out in rural areas. I have been to a couple POE's and the rules have been the same (Agency issued only).
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Legally, I cant comment on the level of communication between different branches of the government. What I can tell you is that it is in fact illegal to work as a visitor. This would be cause for a Expedited Removal.
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Everyone who gets arrested in the United States (visitor or not) is assigned a permanent FBI number tied to their fingerprints. This number is assigned the moment they take your fingerprints at the police station. When you scan your fingerprints on primary, it sends an alert telling us that you have something derogatory with your fingerprints. It is the job of the Officer in secondary to determine what that is and if it is enough to deny you entry.
You will always go back to secondary unless the FBI expunges your record.
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