Structured Interview Q's

You notice a fellow officer skipping an important inspection step during processing. What do you do?

CBP values integrity and allowing procedures and protocols to be bypassed could risk national security. By documenting and reporting though the appropriate chain of command, I demonstrate my loyalty to CBP and their standards in keeping the public safe over personal relationships and uncomfortable situations.

You’re conducting an inspection, and a traveler becomes verbally aggressive, raising their voice and refusing to cooperate. How do you respond?

CBP expects to use judgement, emotional, and de-escalation as primary tools and by reading the traveler’s behavior and adapting my tone and approach, I can demonstrate situational awareness.

You find a traveler attempting to smuggle a small amount of illegal material hidden in luggage. What is your next step?

CBP expects agents to enforce the law without bias, emotions, or shortcuts. It’s crucial to follow the established procedures as it protects the agency from legal issues.

You observe a fellow officer speaking disrespectfully to a traveler from a different nationality. How would you handle this?

CBP policy prohibits discrimination and bias-based profiling or unequal treatment and not reporting it would compromise integrity. This demonstrated my loyalty and commitment to CBP’s ethics and their credibility over personal relationships or uncomfortable situations.

During a port inspection, a traveler suddenly collapses and appears unresponsive. What do you do immediately?

The safety and well being of the public is the agency’s top priority and by acting quickly, ensuring traveler’s safety while maintaining control of the area demonstrates leadership and emotional control especially in stressful situations.

You observe a fellow officer bypass a secondary inspection. What do you do?

CBP officers are to value integrity and accountability and bypassing secondary inspection places a threat on national security. It is essential to uphold established protocols and ensure compliance with legal procedures.

While working the port, a traveler becomes aggressive and yells loudly at you. How do you respond?

Addressing the traveler's concerns respectfully and clearly communicating expectations can help restore order and safety. This demonstrates professionalism and restraint while maintaining authority and is crucial to not allow emotions to dictate the encounter. How tense situations are handled influences the public’s perception and their trust in us to prioritize the public’s safety.

You’re asked by a traveler to let them through with a prohibited item “just this once”. What do you do?

Allowing exceptions can compromise security and undermine the integrity of the inspection process. Enforcing the law without exceptions demonstrates my faithfulness to laws and policies and is essential in building a trustworthy reputation as an officer.

You find conflicting information in a traveler’s documentation. What steps do you take?

Taking the initiative and involving the chain of command is a crucial step. CBP officers are trained to identify inconsistencies and the officer’s response demonstrates attention to detail, initiative, and operational awareness.

You’re short-staffed at your port and are told to stay for an additional 4 hours. How do you handle this?

This demonstrates dedication to the job and reliability which CBP highly values in their officers.

You stop a vehicle at the checkpoint, and the driver appears overly nervous but has no obvious violations. What do you do?

Understanding what constitutes as probable cause and knowing the legal standards and explaining them accurately helps safeguard traveler’s rights while also supporting CBP’s authority to enforce the law. Officers need to stay alert while acting professionally, making sure everything they do follows the law and is properly documented.

You’re at our post and a traveler approaches with multiple large bags and appears overly chatty and evasive. What do you do?

Monitoring the traveler's responses while maintaining professionalism can help determine if further inspection is warranted. It’s crucial that officers have situational awareness and are capable of behavioral awareness as they must assess verbal and non-verbal cues when there’s an attempt to shift focus. By remaining calm, professional, and ready to escalate, if necessary, I would help ensure officer safety and support CBP’s mission to stop unauthorized items or individuals from entering the country.

While posted at an airport checkpoint, your shift partner is delayed and you’re briefly alone during peak arrivals. How do you handle the situation?

This demonstrates my adaptability under stress as officers must be able to follow protocol, remain calm, and use the chain of command when conditions change and are under stress. Maintaining composure, clear communication, and following safety protocols — even in high-pressure situations — is critical to fulfilling CBP’s national security mission.