The Bonners Ferry Border Patrol Station in Idaho is located within the Spokane Sector of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Unit of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Border patrol jobs in Bonners Ferry, Idaho involve making sure that illegal aliens and goods do not enter the country through the station. Border patrol agents stationed at Bonners Ferry are responsible for patrolling 71 miles of international border with Canada, including land from the Priest River in northwestern Idaho to Montana’s Yaak Mountain Range.
The station that is now known as the Bonners Ferry Station was established in 1924. During its history, it was a popular area for German ex-soldiers to try to enter the United States illegally from Canada. Liquor smuggling on trains was also a popular activity for which persons were arrested at the Bonners Ferry Station.
The number one border crime that Bonners Ferry border patrol agents are instructed to prevent is terrorism. Additionally, of course, they are to prevent illegal aliens and goods from crossing into the United States from Canada. Bonners Ferry border patrol agents use canines to help track both illegal aliens and drugs that cross the border.
Border Careers in Bonners Ferry, Idaho
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the federal government mandated that the United States’ border with Canada be better protected. To that end, the number of border patrol jobs at the Bonners Ferry station in Idaho has increased. Border patrol applicants that meet the CBP’s stringent requirements will undergo 20 weeks of extensive training in professional tracking methods, the use of various types of firearms, hand-to-hand combat, laws, arrest techniques, driving techniques, and physical fitness. They must also take an immersion class in Spanish in which they learn two years of Spanish in a short period of time. Border patrol agents in Bonners Ferry may patrol their ground on foot, by horseback, or using a variety of vehicles, including all terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and trucks. They also learn to work with canines in the tracking of humans and drugs.
Other job titles that may be available in Bonners Ferry, Idaho include Air Interdiction Agents, who are border patrol agents in the air; Agricultural Specialists, who inspect every item of produce entering the country for its legality and to ensure that it is pest-free; and Import Specialists, who inspect each good that enters the country, checking for its legality as well.
Border Crossings in Bonners Ferry, Idaho
The Bonners Ferry Border Station contains:
- The Eastport Port of Entry, located on Highway 95 North at the Canadian border
- The Port of Porthill, including the Eckhart International airstrip