Highgate Springs is home to a busy border crossing located within the town of Highgate, Vermont, on Interstate 89. The Highgate Springs crossing is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and is one of the most heavily trafficked points of entry between Vermont and Canada along the state’s 89-mile-long border.
The proximity to Canada means close cooperation with Canadian border agencies is essential, especially because the town has historically been a prime location for the smuggling of people and drugs. During fiscal 2011, border agents working in the sector around Highgate Springs apprehended over 800 illegal immigrants and seized 28 pounds of cocaine as well as over 7,000 pounds of marijuana. Dairy farming is the primary industry in Highgate (the town is home to over 30 dairy farms), which means that agricultural specialists also have a particularly important role to play in protecting the border.
Featured Border Patrol Jobs in Highgate Springs
All applicants for employment positions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must be United States citizens and pass background checks. Border protection jobs that may be available in Highgate Springs include:
Border Patrol Agent – CBP Border Patrol Agents play an essential role in defending the United States against terrorist, weapons, narcotics, illegal immigrants, smuggling, and other threats. Though agents often work overtime and in unpleasant weather, they also have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping to keep the country safe. Border Patrol Agents man traffic checkpoints, respond to surveillance, conduct anti-smuggling investigations, and more. Familiarity with the Spanish language, firearms, and canines is generally part of the job, and applicants must apply before the age of forty.
Agricultural Specialist – CBP Agricultural Specialists are key in the area around Highgate Springs, which is dotted with dairy farms. These specialists protect the nation’s livestock, crops, and economy from agro-terrorism, pests, and diseases. They inspect the millions of fruit, vegetable, animal, and other agricultural and commercial commodities that pass through the nation’s borders each day. Agricultural Specialists generally have expertise in the natural sciences, and often work alongside canines, who can “sniff out” contaminated, diseases, or prohibited products.
Other Border Patrol jobs that may be available in Highgate Springs, Vermont, include:
- Import Specialist
- Air or Marine Interdiction Agent
- Canine Handler
- Intelligence Research Specialist
- Other Mission and Operational Support roles