Border Patrol sets date to recruit in the Valley

BOARDMAN — U.S. Customs and Border Protection will conduct a border patrol agent recruiting drive in seven major Ohio metropolitan areas, including the Mahoning Valley, on Saturday.

Recruiters will be at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 7410 South Ave., Boardman, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Applicants should be between the ages of 18 and 39. A high school diploma is recommended, but not required. However, a test is given for aptitude to learn Spanish. Besides taking a written exam, applicants are interviewed and given a medical exam and physical fitness test.

Border Patrol agents watch 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian land borders with the United States and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding Florida and Puerto Rico to apprehend smugglers, terrorists and undocumented aliens.

Successful candidates complete 95 days of basic training in Artesia, N.M., as part of a two-year internship. Recruits earn between $36,00 and $46,000 in their first year, and can potentially earn up to $70,000 a year within three years.

Initial assignments will be in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The Border Patrol plans to hire 6,000 new agents by the end of this year.

For more information, visit www.BorderPatrol.gov or call (877) 277-9527.