Border Patrol hiring hundreds, setting up job fairs
Kerrrville Daily Times
Nov. 8, 2010, 8:18AM


To be a Border Patrol agent takes dedication, tenacity and skill, said patrol recruiter Anna Frias, who came to Kerrville last week looking to find those same qualities in some local recruits.

The Workforce Solutions Alamo Career Center hosted a Border Patrol Career Fair on Friday seeking potential recruits for the roughly 2,000 new agents being added to stations along the southern U.S. border.

"We've been traveling all around the state looking for new recruits," Frias said. "The patrol is growing, and we need talented people."

Despite preconceptions about boarder patrol agents, Frias said that 86-year-old federal agency looks for recruits from a variety of backgrounds, from college graduates to ex-military. And although women are a minority within the agency, Frias said they should feel encouraged to join as well.

"I sort of break the mold in the agency, but it's a job where the genders are equal," she said.

Successful candidates who apply by march will be selected for a 55-day training academy that covers everything from immigration and criminal law study to firearms and driving training. An extra 40 is added for those recruits not already fluent in Spanish.

"It's a demanding training, but it's also a demanding job," Frias said.

The Border Patrol's visit was the latest in ongoing recruitment activities that are hosted by Workforce Solutions Alamo.

"We like to give our clients access to as many recruiters as possible," said Karen Clint, employer services liaison for Workforce Solutions Alamo.

With Kerr County unemployment most recently reported at 6.2 percent, Clint said more people have been coming into the office to take advantage of such recruiting events.

Thomas Woodlane, who was recently discharged from the army after three tours overseas, was one of the potential recruits who stopped by the fair Friday.

"I just got out of active duty and border patrol seems interesting — something that might make use of those skills," he said.

For more information on applying for the Border Patrol, call 888-590-2559 or apply online at www.borderpatrol.gov.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/spe ... 84545.html