Ask a CBP Officer anything

220 Questions

Last Answer on April 22, 2019

Setting aside the political issue, do you think a Wall would WORK in stemming the tide of illegals?

Asked by Carl almost 10 years ago

I think the wall helps but does not solve the issue. At least the wall keeps the MAJORITY of people from just walking over into the US. You have to put in a lot more effort to come in due to the wall and because of that most people do not even attempt. I agree with extending the border fence for the fact that it acts as a deterrent. Imagine if the United States did not have a wall on the southern border? Anyone and everyone from all over the WORLD will just walk right in. That includes terrorists.

So, my short answer, I think the wall works but has its limits.

1016 Votes

120K salary by my 4th year? I'm in. What kind of education or experience do you need to apply, and is it selective?

Asked by johnny almost 10 years ago

You need a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. You need to have no or very limited criminal history. You need to pass a written test. You need to pass a fitness test. Video based test. You need to pass a structured oral board interview. You need to pass a polygraph examination. You need to pass the academy. Then the job is yours! It took my about 2 years to get to the academy. The job is always posted on usajobs.gov

966 Votes

How do racial tensions affect your job? Does your race play a factor in getting or not getting compliance from people?

Asked by Bill W. almost 10 years ago

I am white, and I have been called racist towards Mexicans on very FEW occasions. You dont really see the race card played much. However, gender is a different story. Men don't really like taking orders from women, especially in the Mexican culture. I'm not being derogatory towards the culture, its just simple fact. Female officers have a much harder time gaining compliance from male subjects. However, I wouldn't mess with any of the female officers i've met. They are all pretty cut throat. They may come off rude, but now you see why.

956 Votes

Which contributes more to the number of illegals living in the Southern US: (1) people who enter at a valid port-of-entry and just stay, or (2) those who sneak over the border without going through a POE?

Asked by QueenEsther3 almost 10 years ago

Sorry but I would rather not answer this question and give any readers ideas on the best ways of entering the United States illegally. However, with that being said, Google is a better source for fairly accurate statistics.

933 Votes

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Have you been catching less weed at the border now that it's getting decriminalized in some States? That was one of the big arguments for legalizing it: that it would stem the illegal flow in from Mexico. But has that actually happened?

Asked by 98harmoni almost 10 years ago

There has been a significant decline in the smuggling of marijuana but we still see it. We used to catch hundreds of pounds on a daily basis but that has gone down to hundreds on a weekly basis. We are starting to see a rise in meth, probably because the decline of demand for marijuana.

925 Votes

How helpful / cooperative are Mexican authorities when it comes to US immigration and border control?

Asked by Brandon almost 10 years ago

Believe it or not, they are actually very helpful and we frequently communicate with them. We even have the Mexican consulate right in our port to help us with undocumented minors. When we expeditiously remove (informal deportation) Mexican nationals, we bring them to a section of the border fence where Mexican authorities are waiting to retrieve them. It goes both ways actually, because Mexican authorities regularly deport US Citizens, then we retrieve them.

They try to give us a heads up when protesters are coming up towards the border from Mexico. We give them a heads up when theres a high speed pursuit and a suspect is fleeing into Mexico. The Mexican authorities then take over in Mexico and deport the suspect back to us. Mexican federales also try to help us out to break up smuggling organizations as well.

898 Votes

I know you have to declare more than $10K when crossing the border, but are agents allowed to seize it anyway if they're suspicious? And do travelers have to prove to YOU that it's not dirty money? (Having to prove a negative is kinda crazy.)

Asked by 10K almost 10 years ago

We cannot seize money under suspicion alone, unless you blatantly tell us the money your bringing is illegally earned. The only time your money gets seized (after you declared it) is if you have been under investigation for a while and Agents have gathered enough intelligence and evidence to provide to the courts to make an arrest. This is a long processes and the majority of criminals who declare money dont even know we have intel on them.

So no, you dont have to prove the money is not dirty. If your money is getting seized even after you declared it, at that point its too late.

888 Votes

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CBP Officer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Setting aside the political issue, do you think a Wall would WORK in stemming the tide of illegals?

120K salary by my 4th year? I'm in. What kind of education or experience do you need to apply, and is it selective?

How do racial tensions affect your job? Does your race play a factor in getting or not getting compliance from people?

Which contributes more to the number of illegals living in the Southern US: (1) people who enter at a valid port-of-entry and just stay, or (2) those who sneak over the border without going through a POE?

Also on Jobstr...

Have you been catching less weed at the border now that it's getting decriminalized in some States? That was one of the big arguments for legalizing it: that it would stem the illegal flow in from Mexico. But has that actually happened?

How helpful / cooperative are Mexican authorities when it comes to US immigration and border control?

I know you have to declare more than $10K when crossing the border, but are agents allowed to seize it anyway if they're suspicious? And do travelers have to prove to YOU that it's not dirty money? (Having to prove a negative is kinda crazy.)

CBP Officer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Setting aside the political issue, do you think a Wall would WORK in stemming the tide of illegals?

120K salary by my 4th year? I'm in. What kind of education or experience do you need to apply, and is it selective?

How do racial tensions affect your job? Does your race play a factor in getting or not getting compliance from people?

Which contributes more to the number of illegals living in the Southern US: (1) people who enter at a valid port-of-entry and just stay, or (2) those who sneak over the border without going through a POE?

Also on Jobstr...

Have you been catching less weed at the border now that it's getting decriminalized in some States? That was one of the big arguments for legalizing it: that it would stem the illegal flow in from Mexico. But has that actually happened?

How helpful / cooperative are Mexican authorities when it comes to US immigration and border control?

I know you have to declare more than $10K when crossing the border, but are agents allowed to seize it anyway if they're suspicious? And do travelers have to prove to YOU that it's not dirty money? (Having to prove a negative is kinda crazy.)

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