The primary mission of the committed men and women of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency of the Department of Homeland Security is to keep terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. They also secure and ease travel and trade while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws. New Jersey’s location bordering Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean makes it a strategically important area for border security, and one that requires the expertise of air and marine interdiction agents to support agents on the ground.
CBP Ports of Entry in New Jersey
New Jersey’s 10 miles of coastline stretch from Sandy Hook, a 1,665-acre peninsula within view of the Manhattan skyline, to Cape May, where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. CBP ports of entry in New Jersey are:
- Morristown Airport – a designated General Aviation Reliever Airport for the New York Metropolitan Area.
- Perth Amboy – situated on the southern portion of New York Bay.
- New York/Newark – a service port in Newark.
Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, is a major air, rail and shipping hub. According to government statistics for 2011, cargo volumes in Newark broke a record with 5.5 million 20-foot-equivalent units loaded/unloaded, a four percent increase over 2010. In addition, Express Rail handled 422,144 cargo containers, a 12 percent increase.
Various Hats Worn by CBP Personnel in New Jersey
Several times a year the CBP holds auctions in Carteret, New Jersey, to sell goods that were abandoned or left unclaimed at port sites.
In 2012, CBP officers and border patrol agents in New Jersey proved their tenacity in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. They helped to begin the return to normalcy by starting to process the backlog of passengers and cargo just three days after the devastating storm. This included 14,000 passengers at Newark International Airport and 10,000 passengers at cruise ship ports. CBP personnel flew in from Miami, Atlanta and the mid-Atlantic to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the impacted area.
The Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) unit consists of border patrol agents who volunteer to go beyond their normal duties to learn search and rescue techniques and other skills. Although created in 1998 to help undocumented aliens who get in trouble while trying to enter the U.S. through dangerous, remote areas, BORSTAR officers are ready to help whenever/wherever they are needed.
Border Patrol Job Requirements and Salaries in New Jersey
New Jersey residents interested in becoming border patrol agents must be U.S. citizens, under the age of 40, physically fit, drug free and able to pass a thorough background investigation. Potential applicants can either apply online or call the New Jersey sector office (Swanton) at 518-298-2217 to talk with a recruiter who will answer all of the caller’s questions and, if appropriate, help him or her with the application process.
The average annual salary of a CBP Agent in New Jersey is $79,300, or $38.13/hour. Minimum and maximum annual salaries are $48,920 and $108,370 respectively. New Jersey CBP salaries are comparatively high compared to other states.