FARGO (AP) - The Border Patrol has come north in its quest for southern border agents.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, which is seeking agents to patrol the nation's southern border, held a recruiting session Saturday in Moorhead, Minn.

People interested in working for the Border Patrol could talk with one of eight agents, take a sample test and register for the entrance exam.

"We pretty much are getting into the interior of the country, away from the border, to let people know we're hiring," said recruiter Shawn Cordell, a senior patrol agent based in Beecher Falls, Vt., who has been with the agency for 11 years.

The Border Patrol, which is part of the Homeland Security Department, has a target of 18,000 agents by the end of the year. Saturday's event drew interest from a number of National Guard members, Cordell said.

Anthony Wirth of Fargo was among nearly 40 people who came to the recruiting event Saturday. He filled out an online application, saying he could imagine being part of a mounted horse patrol in the Southwest.

"It's pretty country down there - a little too warm for me, but I can sacrifice two years," Wirth said. said.