For the record, there are no "Border Guards". Even in the article, they make up designations for people. The only "agents" that work for Customs and Border Protection are Border Patrol Agents. Those that generally work at fixed-post points of entry are Customs and Border Protection Officers. I know the media has a hard time dealing with "facts" and not just conjecture, but it really is relevant to the story.

Stories such as these are more common than anyone in DHS would like to admit. With the accelerated hiring CBP has done over the past few years, there is a general thought that a lot of bad apples may have slipped through the cracks. CBP, however, is pretty open about exposing corruption and even posts convictions on it's internal website as a reminder. CBP is an attractive employer for people who are from the regions with the highest concentrations of positions. Face it, who wants to move to Del Rio, TX if they have no connections there? The problem with this is some employees have "people" on both sides of the border. While they may not start off corrupt, the potential for influence is there. Remember, we're talking about a generally dirt-poor Third World country with a virtually non-existent middle class. There is a ton of money to be made in alien/drug smuggling with an endless supply. Rest assured, I've spoken to many veteran officers/agents and they are very concerned about rooting out corruption amongst the ranks.

For the average traveler, I haven't read too many articles that had a direct effect. This is the only one I can recall in recent memory. But then again, I'm getting old. Customs and Border Protection Officer Sentenced for Computer Theft (PDF Warning)