The US Department of Homeland Security is still hiring new Border Agents. The agents work to catch terrorists, illegal immigrants and smugglers along the US-Mexico border. The US Customs and Border Protection Agency, or CBPA, oversees the agents, who are based on the borders of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The CBPA is in the middle of the biggest expansion in its history, working to fulfill a commitment by President George W. Bush made to hire 6,000 new Border Patrol officers a year through 2008. With 17,700 new recruits hired, the CBPA has 300 spots left to fill. Border Patrol recruits earn $36,000 to $46,000 in their first year, and can make $70,000 a year within their first three years. There are also opportunities to move on to higher-paying government jobs. The Border Patrol has a 12 percent annual turnover rate that is related mainly to retiring agents, and agents transferring to other federal law enforcement jobs. Candidates are required to complete an exhaustive screening process, which includes a written exam and a structured interview, a Spanish proficiency test, as well as a physical fitness exam and medical examination. The Border Patrol is a part of the Department of Homeland Security, and as such agents must enroll in a 55-day basic training program, which only comes after successfully finishing a Spanish proficiency test at the academy. Anyone who doesn’t pass the test is mandated to attend a 40-day “Spanish immersion course.”