The Grand Portage station is located in Northern Minnesota and shares a border with the Canadian province of Ontario. While located in rural area of the state, the border crossing at Grand Portage does see a substantial amount of traffic because of its location between the shipping hubs of Duluth, MN and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and because of its location on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Its location around these massive bodies of water has made marine interdiction agent jobs particularly important here.
The border station also serves as a port of entry. It is classified as a Class A Port, according to the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.
Major Responsibilities of Grand Portage Border Agents
Since the Grand Portage border crossing is located on a major trucking corridor and scenic highway 61, drug smuggling tends to be the largest problem dealt with by agents at the station. Illegal border crossing is not as much of an issue here.
The drug busts at the Grand Portage border crossing station are usually for marijuana, which is usually found in relatively small amounts compared to drug busts done at border crossings in other parts of the country.
Another primary job duty of border patrol agents at the Grand Portage station is to search and inspect trucks that are shipping food across the border, according to the CBP. The nature of the shipping route between the two nearest cities puts priority on maintaining food regulations in both the United States and Canada. This contributes to making agricultural specialist jobs particularly prevalent here.
Border Patrol Jobs in Grand Portage
Customs and Border Protection training and education opportunities are available for the following professions given that candidates meet the employment requirements:
Border Patrol Agent: Primarily, border agents are responsible for interacting with the public, screening travel documents and performing searches when needed.
Agriculture Specialist: These border patrol jobs in Grand Portage are meant to protect American agriculture and enforce federal quality standards and guidelines. It is their job to inspect all food items that come across the border.
Commodity Team Member: Members of these groups are responsible for inspecting trade goods such as clothing, electronics, machinery, toys, furniture and building materials.