Applications for jobs as immigration inspectors pour in at record pace

Applications for immigration inspector positions have poured in at a record pace of about 8,000 a month since October, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

In the past four months, the INS has received more than 36,000 applications for jobs as immigration inspectors, said Sidney Waldstreicher, project manager for hiring at the agency. If applications continue at this rate for the rest of the fiscal year, the INS will beat its current record of 90,000 applications for immigration inspector jobs in fiscal 2000.

The agency wants to hire 2,000 new immigration inspectors and 2,000 new Border Patrol agents by the end of fiscal 2002, Waldstreicher said. Currently, there are 4,788 immigration inspectors and 9,834 Border Patrol agents.

"The number of applications for inspectors we've received so far is a record, but it is also because we've never had to hire this many inspectors before," said Waldstreicher. In fiscal 1998, the INS hired 1,000 immigration inspectors, the most the agency has brought on board in any single year.

Since October, the INS has hired 235 immigration inspectors and 419 Border Patrol agents. So far, the agency has received about 38,000 applications for Border Patrol jobs.

Before Sept. 11, the INS had planned to fill about 1,000 immigration inspector slots and add 1,700 Border Patrol agents in fiscal 2002. But after the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress gave the INS nearly $550 million in emergency supplemental funding, enabling the agency to add even more positions.

The vacancy announcements for immigration inspectors and Border Patrol agents will remain open through the end of the fiscal year, Waldstreicher said. The administration's proposed fiscal 2003 budget calls for hiring another 570 Border Patrol agents and 1,150 immigration inspectors to be added next fiscal year, but Waldstreicher said the INS will probably have to hire closer to 2,000 of each in 2003.

Despite the thousands of applications the INS has received for jobs as immigration inspectors and Border Patrol agents, the competition among federal law enforcement agencies for highly qualified individuals has made recruiting difficult, Waldstreicher said. "Most law enforcement agencies are recruiting against each other."

INS is competing with the Customs Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to attract talented employees, Waldstreicher said. Between October and January, the INS lost 102 Border Patrol agents to other federal agencies. Waldstreicher suspects many of those employees have joined the federal air marshal program, although the INS does not track where employees who leave are going.

The INS plans to advertise heavily this spring in 13 different markets across the country to attract more Border Patrol agents. "We are now developing a new national commercial and changing the way we advertise," Waldstreicher said. The focus of the recruiting campaign will be on patriotism and service to the country, he said.

To apply for a position as a Border Patrol agent or an immigration inspector, go to the USA Jobs Web site, which lists federal employment opportunities. Interested applicants can also view vacancy announcements for agents and inspectors on the INS Web site. The announcements currently list closing dates for the positions, but the INS plans to update the notice soon to extend the application period through Sept. 30, said agency spokeswoman Nicole Chulick.