The border crossing station located in Billings, Montana is one of 10 stations established in the state and is one of the largest stations in the Havre sector of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. The Havre sector is part of the larger Northern region of border crossing stations, which all share borders with the country of Canada. Billings is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Montana, and is the largest metropolitan area within a 500 mile radius, which means it is a very important part of the Havre sector of border crossing stations. On top of all that, Billings is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and is experiencing a population boom that has been unheard of since the state joined the union.
Because the city is located in a large state that shares a long border with Canada, the Billings border crossing station offers unique challenges for agents. Border patrol jobs at the Billings border station require agents to monitor large swaths of land for suspicious activity, such as people trying to cross the border illegally and people trying to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the country.
Billings Station Facing Closure
In the Summer of 2012, President Barack Obama announced the closure of nine border crossing stations mostly located in the interior of Texas, but the Billings, Montana station is one of the three that will eventually be fazed out of existence.
The reason given for this decision is because of low traffic, to cut costs and to focus border patrol options and agents in other areas. The decision to close the Billings station has been controversial, as the area is prone to illegal immigration- although apprehension of illegal immigrants has diminished over the last decade or so. Local law enforcement especially has raised complaints about the closure of the Billings border crossing station because CBP agents often assisted local law enforcement in a variety of ways.
Yet, even though the Billings station will close, the Havre sector is still in need of border patrol agents to work in the state of Montana, which will require even more responsibility on the part of the agents. Border patrol jobs in the state are not going anywhere; the jobs will just no longer be stationed in the city of Billings proper. Border patrol jobs and U.S. Customs careers will be scattered throughout the other nine border stations in the state.