Homeland Security recruiting border agents with $30,000 incentives

U.S. Customs and Border Protection appears to be steadily increasing recruitment incentives in an effort to overcome hiring challenges faced by the Department of Homeland Security as they seek more border agents.

CPB has launched a campaign to get more applicants for border patrol agents, buying ads on social media and posting job listings offering various incentives based on need that can total up to $30,000 — with salaries ranging from $61,965 to $99,942 per year.

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In January, CPB issued a release offering at least $20,000 in bonuses, with the possibility of as much as $30,000 to newly appointed U.S. Border Patrol agents who entered duty on or after Jan. 8.

Recruits will have to complete the academy and at least three years of service, CPB said.

Up to $10,000 of the bonus money can be allocated to agents who accept work at a remote location, including Sierra Blanca, Presidio, Sanderson, Comstock, Freer or Hebbronville in Texas. Other locations include Lordsburg, New Mexico and Ajo, Arizona.

Agents would be tasked with detecting and questioning people suspected of immigration and customs violations. CPB wants agents to check farms and buildings, perform city patrols and do transportation checks.

In January, at least 14 House Democrats voted in favor of a nonbinding resolution denouncing the Biden administration's "open-borders policies," and blaming the president for "the national security and public safety crisis."