Border patrol jobs in Fabens, Texas include mainly Customs and Border Patrol Officers and Border Patrol Agents. It is a port of entry, open only to standard passenger vehicles eighteen hours a day. However the primary purpose of agents at the Fabens border post is conducting linewatch operations in their twenty-four mile International Boundary zone of responsibility. This area is known for a notoriously high-intensity level of illegal human and drug trafficking, as immediately to the south of the border lies Ciudad Juarez and immediately to the east the city of El Paso, Texas.
The new Fabens station opened in 2000. Border inspectors have been operating in the area of Fabens as early as 1924, though a permanent building would not be established until the current station. Previously Fabens Border Agents operated from office space and even from the homes of various Inspectors-in-Charge. The main El Paso border control center was established in 1904 and created an almost immediate need for stations like Fabens, as people making illegal crossings quickly diverted their paths around El Paso.
Fabens Proves to be a High-Risk Area for Illegal Trafficking
A Border Patrol career at the Fabens station is not for the faint of heart. A normal day consists of running down drug smugglers, patrolling scrub-land known for a high level of illegal immigrant crossings, and staying alert for any motion detectors or other sensors that may be triggered by the next arms trafficker. One event which received national attention occurred in 2005, involving the shooting of a drug smuggler.
Responding to an alarm triggered by a motion detector, Border Patrol Agents soon chased down a van filled with 743 pounds of marijuana. There was a brief altercation and the driver of the van took off running towards Mexico. Believing he was armed, two agents shot at the man. As it turned out later, the suspect was unarmed and also had his back to the CPB Officers when he was shot. This caused a great deal of controversy and would bring the national spotlight upon the case.
Eventually even then-President George W. Bush would become involved. What started as just another shift in the career of a Border Patrol Agent would end up generating a national controversy. This has highlighted the need for Border Patrol Agents at the Fabens border crossing who are well-versed and experienced in the rules of engagement, a task that is not to be characterized as easy.
Border Patrol Agent job requirements include:
- United States Citizenship
- Driver’s license
- No older than 40 (exception for previous law enforcement or military)
- No convictions for domestic violence
- Successful completion of a background, drug, and polygraph test
- Knowledge of the Spanish language