Border Patrol recruits in Panhandle

ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 10, 2007


FORT WALTON BEACH — The U.S. Border Patrol is looking for Florida residents to help secure the nation’s borders — only they must be willing to leave Florida’s beaches for the Southwestern desert or the Canadian border.

Recruiters are in Fort Walton Beach as part of national campaign to hire 6,000 new Border Patrol agents. The Florida Panhandle is a logical place for the agency to recruit because the region has so many residents with military training, said Joe Arata, east regional manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection recruitment.

“Part of our recruiting strategy is to center around military installations because we found veterans are a good fit for the Border Patrol,â€