Think immigration is boring? "We've met the Pope!" says Paula Bennett.
She is the manager of citizenship and immigration at an international airport.
"We've cleared immigration papers for Hollywood movie stars coming
[here] to make films," she adds. "But most of the time, we deal with ordinary
people, ordinary families who want to come here to visit or to live."
Bennett has worked with immigration for 25 years. "I've worked overseas
in Asia and Africa. I always seem to come back to the airport!
"It felt right. I walked right into it. I liked the people aspect and I
liked the international aspect. I find it quite interesting," she says. In
a typical day, Bennett's staff interviews people arriving from international
flights.
"We might be issuing student authorization or issuing employment authorizations.
We also grant permanent residence to immigrants that have been selected overseas.
We examine documents looking for evidence of fraud.
"We deal with refugees, people seeking asylum. We interview, determine
why they need...protection and make a judgment about the honesty of their
answers. We have to try and keep the right people out and let the right ones
in.
"We also have what we call 'baby Fridays.' This is when couples
return from China, bringing home the baby girls they've adopted. In China,
baby girls aren't valued, so these couples adopt them and bring them
back home. It's a heartwarming experience to process the immigration
documents for these families."
Other experiences aren't quite so happy. Sometimes Bennett must deal
with kidnapped children or with children who are brought in by alien smugglers,
then discarded.
If you're interested in this career, Bennett has some advice. "Do
some traveling yourself so you know what it's like on the other side
of the counter. Get a job -- summer employment -- in an area that gives you
lots of public contact. It will help in the long run," she says.
"I'm an example of somebody that started off at the very low level
working in the record room and had the ability to move upwards. There's
lots of opportunity within this department, if you want to take the position
that you will do anything that comes across your path and are open and flexible."
Kenneth Peck is the port director at Sumas, Washington. He began his career
s a part-time inspector in central Montana. "I wanted to serve my country.
All my friends were going to Vietnam and I couldn't pass the physical.
So I looked for another way to serve."
Peck didn't originally intend to stay in customs and border protection
for so long, but he liked the work. "I had six postings in 26 years. There's
lots of opportunity for travel and to see how other places do their work.
I like the variety, the excitement," he says.
"I worked for 20 years in the trenches before I moved into management.
On a typical day, I spend my time trying to pick the one smuggler out of the
hundreds of law-abiding citizens. It's a challenge. You
learn to analyze behavioral characteristics."
Customs and border protection officers are peace officers. They are authorized
to arrest suspected lawbreakers. U.S. officials carry firearms. "We actually
make more arrests of felony violators than any other federal law enforcement
agency, including the FBI," says Peck.
"The most typical smuggled items are drugs, currency and items protected
by copyright or trademark."
Wes Ferris is acting manager of program services with a customs service.
He calls customs and immigration work exciting and stressful, but always rewarding.
"You have to always have it in your minds that it is like a game. People
are trying to get past you with things that aren't being declared. Most
of the time you deal with law-abiding citizens. You have to balance law enforcement
with good public relations."
A typical day for Ferris is pretty hectic. "You arrive at work and you
go into action right away. If you're working in the booth at the border,
it's back and forth between inside and outside work," he says. "There's
continuous conversation, discussion, answering questions, analyzing, searching
vehicles, confirming declarations or answering inquiries either in person
or over the phone.
"When you work inside the booth, you're waiting for the referrals
that come in from the officers working outside. You collect duty and taxes,
answer questions, sometimes become involved with enforcement actions and may
be required to arrest individuals.
"If there are questions about their citizenship status or right to enter
the country, that person would be referred to the immigration officers, who
are also stationed at ports of entry."
Ferris has been stationed in airports, borders, postal offices and marine
ports.
"It's the best decision I ever made. I like the diversity and the
people and the issues that arise. I like dealing not only with travelers,
but with my own staff. There's lots of people contact."