CBP Officer

[Sky]

Hello,

This morning, while checking USAJOBS, I noticed a new listing for the CBP Officer position. After doing some research on several sites for this position, I still do have a few questions.

What are the specific duties of a CBO Officer when assigned to an airport? Do they screen aircraft cargo containers coming from international origins? Do they also process tourists and citizens' passports, or is this task assigned to Immigration officers?

Is the CBPO FLETC training different from other Federal Agencies' training? If so, in what capacity?

Finally, I have read that some of the benefits (I believe retirement) recently changed in July for this position. Would a CBP Officer be able to laterally move to another Federal Agency later, and be able to carry over his/her benefits?

Thank you.
:cool:

[chewy]

CBPO's at airports may do cargo but normally they just do passenger processing. You'd check passports and issue entry documents, interview travelers and search luggage. Usually cargo is something the more senior people do. There is no "Immigration Officer", that is what CBP Officers do, Immigration merged with Customs to form CBP.

FLETC training is different for every agency. The special agents do the same classes but CBP Officers, Border Patrol, Bureau of Prisons, Amtrack Police, Park Police etc all have different academies, they just happen to be at the same location for convienance of resources.

Depends on the position and agency.

[Sky]

chewy,

Thank you for the clarification, I appreciate it.

For a CBPO assigned to work at an airport, what would be a typical career progression? Are there any investigative opportunities as well?

Thanks again!

[chewy]

Your career will be GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 then GS-11. There it will stagnate until you retire.

Well, if you apply for supervisor you can be selected. It's up to you on that.


NO, we have no investigative opportunities.

[sparty]

Your career will be GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 then GS-11. There it will stagnate until you retire.

Well, if you apply for supervisor you can be selected. It's up to you on that.


NO, we have no investigative opportunities.

Actually CBP would have investigative opportunities if they would only let people do their jobs. CBP has this position called an enforcement officer which before the merger was known as a senior immigration inspector (SRI). SRIs in most ports were the equivalent of INS special agents in everything but name and pay grade. Many felt the position was actually better than a special agent because you got to so many varied activities and conduct investigations of criminal and administrative violations at the ports. Those at my port, for instance, were the "go to" people for any immigration related activities - I dealt with almost ever alphabet agency you can think of and probably a few you can't. Then with the merger we became the redheaded stepchildren of CBP. Management - mostly customs - didn't know what to do with us because customs did not have an equivalent position. Everything had to go through ICE. Now, five and a half years after the merger, things are slowly starting to change (mainly because CBP is not happy with the way ICE handles port of entry criminal violations) but change is slow. In the meantime, lots of talented people have left the agency. There is no separate "law enforcement" chain of command - for the most part you are dealing with managers who only know how to handle things administratively - and the position has suffered because of that. There is a big turf war in DC over who should have responsibility over all criminal violations at a port of entry, not just immigration violations as it is now. Some view it as ICE not wanting to give up having cases handed to them on a silver platter because then they will actually have to go out and work for a living. Although CBP is trying, there are no set procedures for using enforcement officers nationally. Some are allowed to go outside the port for investigations, others are not. CBP has lost so many immigration experts many enforcement officers are handling immigration related duties other officers would normally handle simply because there is no one else qualified. Hopefully things will change in the new administration.

Okay, rant over. Yes, if used properly (which seems to be a hard thing to do at CBP), enforcement officers have great opportunities for investigative activities.

[chewy]

Blah Blah Blah Immigration hasbeen!!!


:D



CBPEO's don't do anything more than run the lane...

[Sky]

Your career will be GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 then GS-11. There it will stagnate until you retire.

Well, if you apply for supervisor you can be selected. It's up to you on that.


NO, we have no investigative opportunities.

Thank you. I just finished watching the Dateline special report on the CBP, and I was wondering whether the "hard secondary" officers who question flagged visitors, are senior CBPO or ICE officers.

[chewy]

Oh... they aren't ICE, CBP and ICE are like, well, Fire and Ice. They hate us, Border Patrol hates us, the public hates us... we can't win no matter what we do.

[sparty]

Blah Blah Blah Immigration hasbeen!!!


:D



CBPEO's don't do anything more than run the lane...

Oh... they aren't ICE, CBP and ICE are like, well, Fire and Ice. They hate us, Border Patrol hates us, the public hates us... we can't win no matter what we do.

Just remember when the complaint comes in it's CUSTOMS' FAULT!!:p:D

Actually some ports really do let CBPO(E)s do what they are supposed to do. Other ports on the other hand . . . Is it any wonder I'm trying to get out of CBP? If it wasn't for family reasons and having to stay local I would have been gone long ago.

And hey, there's at least one person in ICE who loves me!! (And no, it's not Big:D)

[Sky]

Just remember when the complaint comes in it's CUSTOMS' FAULT!!:p:D

Actually some ports really do let CBPO(E)s do what they are supposed to do. Other ports on the other hand . . . Is it any wonder I'm trying to get out of CBP? If it wasn't for family reasons and having to stay local I would have been gone long ago.

And hey, there's at least one person in ICE who loves me!! (And no, it's not Big:D)

Now you have me curious...What is a CBPO(E)?

[sparty]

Now you have me curious...What is a CBPO(E)?

Customs and Border Protection Officer (Enforcement). We are responsible for handling and investigating all criminal violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act that occur at our nation's ports of entry. CBP management (for the most part) would like us to handle all criminal violations (immigration, money, drugs, etc) that occur at the ports of entry. Unfortunately like I said in an earlier post, there is a turf war in DC between CBP and ICE over who gets to handle what. The only reason we were allowed to continue to handle the immigration matters after the merger is that many in customs/ICE didn't find immigration crimes "sexy" enough.

[chewy]

CBPEO stands for CBP Enforcement Officer. They are an 1895 position just like the regular Officers but it's like a seperate job. You have to apply for it and then if you get it you do more of the investigative and interview/interrogation type work, you do all the detailed stuff for removing people from the country, escort them to the magistrate and jail etc.

[sparty]

We also get real 6c/12d law enforcement retirement coverage which means we can take our time to a covered position at another federal agency unlike a regular CBPO.

[Sky]

Thank you for the information. This definitely sounds like an interesting position. I assume it is highly sought out by CBP Officers when one becomes available. It appears that, due to the "turf war," this position may either disappear (to ICE), or be expanded in the near future, right?

[chewy]

We also get real 6c/12d law enforcement retirement coverage which means we can take our time to a covered position at another federal agency unlike a regular CBPO.

Again... blah blah blah blah... you may be sooooo great but I bet you don't get to jeopardize the countries security every day by not being able to do your job due to politics and piss poor management... Oh, ya, you do too.