As Nastor Moreno, of Providence, enters his information on a computer, U.S. Border Patrol recruiters at right make sure things go smoothly at last weekend’s recruitment event at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

The Mexican border seems like a long way from Rhode Island.

But the U.S. Border Patrol, under a presidential order to increase the number of agents from 12,000 to 18,000 by the end of the year, sent its national recruiting team to the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence last Saturday.

Prospective agents would undergo training at the Border Patrol’s training academy in Artesia, N.M., and then spend a two-year probationary period in California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas. After two years, agents can apply for a transfer.

“Traditionally, we hire in the Southwest,” said Joe Arata, east region manager for national recruitment. “We’re trying to do some nontraditional recruiting. A lot of people think that if I’m not on the Southwest border, they won’t hire me.… Obviously, the first question we’re asking is ‘Are you willing to move?’ Once they make the decision that it’s OK to move, then the job really sells itself.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Border Patrol, which is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection within the Department of Homeland Security, said the organization has 16,176 agents, and needs slightly less than 2,000 more by the end of the year to meet the goal of 18,000. Arata said new hires must be between 18 and 39, American citizens, have valid driver’s licenses and can pass an extensive background check. Border Patrol agents are expected to speak Spanish, but if you don’t speak it already, the agency will teach you.

There are no educational requirements, but Border Patrol agents must take a lengthy written exam, undergo a prehiring interview, and pass a fitness test that requires 20 pushups in 60 seconds, 25 situps in 60 seconds and 5 minutes of stepping on and off a 12-inch high platform. It’s a physical job, said Border Patrol agent Shawn Cordell. “People trying to get into this country illegally don’t take the easy way.”

Then there is an extensive background check, going back 10 years and covering education, employers, police records, drug or alcohol use, and financial problems. A conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence disqualifies a Border Patrol applicant, since by law people convicted of such a crime cannot carry a gun — a requirement for the Border Patrol.

The entire application process can take between six and nine months.

Arata said pay starts between $40,000 and $45,000, and by the third year on the job, with overtime, an agent can make between $70,000 and $75,000. But there’s more to the job than just money, Arata said — “Never discount a thing called patriotism.”

Last Saturday, a steady stream of applicants came to the fifth floor of the convention center, where Arata and his team had set up shop. Arata said that, by the end of the day, 289 people had registered to take the written exam to be a Border Patrol agent.

Adam Taber, 37, of Swansea, Mass., said he is looking for a career change. He’s on construction now, and he’s often laid off for three or four months a year, waiting for work. “I like the Southwest; that’s not a problem,” he said. “I’m looking for something stable, and this seems like a stable job right now.”

Jay Medeiros, 33, of Dartmouth, Mass., said that like many people, he’s out of work. He was impressed with the honesty of the Border Patrol recruiters. “They’re telling you what they expect right up front.” But moving to the Southwest, he said, could be a problem. “My family is from here, and it’s going to be a family decision,” he said.

After checking in, applicants were sent to a “recruitment room,” where different agents took turns showing a short video on the Border Patrol and answering questions, which ranged from the nitty-gritty of health benefits to the difficulty of learning Spanish. Candidates who already speak Spanish spend 55 training days at the training academy; those who don’t speak Spanish stay for an extra 40 training days of intensive language training.

“You’re not going to be having conversations about the nature of the universe. It’s language that’s related to the job,” said Border Patrol agent Ashley Taylor. “You’re going to learn Spanish, trust me.”

After spending time in the recruitment room, anyone interested in the job was ushered to a laptop computer, where they could apply online. From there, candidates could take a 14-question sample of the written exam to be a Border Patrol agent, and get the results on the spot.

The actual test takes 4½ hours. The pass rate nationally is about 35 percent. Much of the test is devoted to logical reasoning. Questions begin with a paragraph describing a situation, and the test-taker must draw the right conclusion from among five choices.

Pasquale Nacci, 27, of Providence, had a 50-percent success rate on the practice questions. “You’ve got to take your time. It’s common sense, but you have to read through the questions carefully. You can’t jump to conclusions,” he said.

Nacci said he’s looking for a career in law enforcement. “This gives me an opportunity to do that, to go to states I’ve never seen, work in a different environment,” he said. He said he’s never been to the Southwest, but he’s willing to check it out. “If the job’s going to take me somewhere, and pay me the money, why not go for it?”

He added that he believes in the mission of the Border Patrol. “I want to be part of the job.… If we don’t protect our borders, then the U.S. will not be the U.S.”

The other part of the qualifying exam for the Border Patrol is the language component. For those who speak Spanish, there is a Spanish language proficiency test. For those who don’t, the government has created an artificial language with a similar grammatical structure to Spanish.

According to an exam preparation manual distributed by the Border Patrol, studies conducted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Border Patrol Academy indicated that the artificial language test is an effective way of predicting how well a student will do learning Spanish.

Taylor said the key to success in the qualification test is to put in plenty of time studying the preparation manual, which includes everything from general advice (stay calm and relaxed; don’t try to find a pattern of A’s, B’s, C’s on your answer sheet) to sample questions with not only the correct answers, but the reasoning behind them.

Patrick Moran, 18, of Warwick, is at the young end of the Border Patrol application pool. He said he’s a criminal justice major at the Community College of Rhode Island, and is looking for a law enforcement career. One of his teachers suggested he go to the recruitment event at the Convention Center.

Moran said he took Spanish for two years in high school, and he thinks he can pick up the language. And he has family in Texas, so relocating to the Southwest doesn’t bother him.

At the other end of the age range is Chris Fagan, 39, of Woonsocket, who said he works as a waiter and a truck driver. “It’s a challenge. I want to see if I can actually get the job. I’m at the ripe old age of 39.… I’m success-oriented, I think I could do it ” he said. “And I want to serve my country.”

Applicants interested in applying for a job in the U.S. Border Patrol may do so by going online to www.borderpatrol.gov.

asmith@projo.com