Border Patrol seeking black recruits in South

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The U.S. Border Patrol has begun an aggressive recruiting campaign across the Southeast for qualified black candidates as part of President Bush's goal of hiring 6,000 new agents by the end of this year.

Border Patrol spokeswoman Andrea J. Zortman said members of the recruitment team will be in the Southeast beginning this month to share their experiences while stationed at various regions along the border and to discuss opportunities within the agency.

It is the first time the agency, working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and CBP Human Resource Management, has put together a recruitment team made up entirely of black agents.

Ms. Zortman said the team is looking for candidates who can successfully undergo a rigorous screening process, which includes a written examination, structured interview, foreign-language proficiency test, drug testing, medical examination, physical fitness test and a background investigation.

"The Southeastern United States is a candidate-rich environment that we feel will lend to an increase in qualified applicants who are interested in protecting our nation's borders," said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Michael E. Douglas, leader of the recruitment team. "This is a great opportunity for the African-American community to play a vital part in protecting the homeland as well as bettering their communities."

Ms. Zortman said the focus of the recruitment campaign is to "address and dispel the common misconceptions that the African-American community may have about becoming an agent, as well as to increase the percentage of minorities in the Border Patrol."

Fewer than 1.5 percent of Border Patrol's ranks are black, compared with the common labor force, which has more than 10 percent.

The recruitment team will begin its efforts on Jan. 21 in North Carolina and South Carolina, traveling then to Missouri and Arkansas on Feb. 4 to 9; Alabama and Georgia on Feb. 25 to March 1; Louisiana and Mississippi on March 17 to 26; Kentucky and Tennessee on April 7 to 12; and Virginia and Maryland on April 28 to May 3.

Ms. Zortman said local interviews are available with recruitment team members and can be scheduled by calling 202/344-1500.