Finding The Dream Job: Recruiters in Buffalo, New York Help Hundreds Apply for CBP Roles

September’s Expo drew more than 1,100 attendees and saw more 500 people apply for CBP jobs

For many people, career aspirations begin with a familiar question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

The answers may vary, from doctors and lawyers to astronauts and movie stars. But for many, the dream job becomes something more grounded: a meaningful career that has a positive impact on others.

For nearly 1,100 job seekers who attended the Department of Homeland Security Career Expo in Buffalo, New York, on Sept. 1 and 2, that dream moved one step closer to reality.

Held in a city with deep ties to public service, cross-border trade and homeland security, the Buffalo event gave applicants a chance to meet directly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection recruiters, learn about the agency’s mission and begin the application process on-site. Buffalo’s location near the northern border also made it a fitting place to highlight CBP careers that help protect the nation while enforcing lawful trade and travel.

CBP staffed the two-day event with more than 70 recruiters and human resources professionals who greeted applicants, discussed opportunities across the agency, explained what a career with CBP can look like and guided candidates through the initial steps of the application process.

“I love talking to applicants about the possible careers that they could have at CBP, listening to them and hearing their stories,” said Andrea Bright, assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Human Resources Management, who attended the event. “I think the most important thing for recruiters to do is to listen to the applicant and to hear their ‘why,’ and then help connect those interests with roles and activities that are done every day at CBP.”

Those roles are plentiful. Open positions include law enforcement jobs, such as U.S. Border Patrol agent, CBP officer and Air and Marine Interdiction agent, as well as mission support roles, including attorney, human resources specialist and management and program analyst.

A recruiter with the U.S. Border Patrol talks with an applicant

“We have mechanics, we have chemists, we have an amazing communications division and a great recruitment team,” said Julie Jo Chae, director of CBP’s National Recruitment Division. “We just want to make sure people are aware of all the amazing opportunities that we have. Because at the end of the day, we want somebody to come into this career and stay and be a part of this mission.”

For the Buffalo expo, CBP recruiters were encouraged to share what drew them to the agency and explain how their professional passions aligned with their current or previous roles.

Sunita Fonseca, a recruiter and 14-year veteran of CBP’s Office of Field Operations, said she was drawn to CBP because of its mission of service to the country.

“This job has given me purpose, to be able to protect people living in this country,” Fonseca said. “And I love being a part of the process of meeting someone who is trying to figure out what they want to do. It’s a great feeling to give them information about a career that would be rewarding to them and their community.”

Because nearly one-quarter of CBP employees are U.S. military veterans, recruiters focused on helping attendees with military experience see how their skills could transfer to a career with CBP.

“I love the fact that CBP is so pro-veteran and pro-military,” said Cynthia Avilla, who joined CBP as a full-time recruiter in October 2025 after spending 23 years in the U.S. Army and interning with CBP through the Department of War SkillBridge program. “I have a passion for helping people find their passion in doing what they want to do. And being able to help place former service members into a fruitful and productive career based on their background is something I love.”

Brian Price, who spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force before joining CBP as a recruiter, said he appeals to candidates’ sense of pride when discussing opportunities within the agency.

Recruiters discuss open CBP positions with a Career Expo attendee

“My role allows me to come out here and help others not only find their next job, but do something that they can be proud of,” Price said. “Working at CBP is something that you can feel good about every day when you get up and go to work.”

By the end of the Buffalo expo, attendees had submitted more than 500 applications. Of those, 179 applicants received same-day tentative job offers.

For those job seekers, the dream of finding a mission-oriented career with purpose may soon become a reality. And for CBP, the event reinforced the value of meeting applicants where they are, including in communities like Buffalo, where the agency’s mission is part of daily life along the northern border.

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