About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Federal law enforcement (Homeland Security / Border Protection).

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

Confidential Client is hiring entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) to join a federal law-enforcement team protecting U.S. borders and supporting homeland security operations. This is a full-time, career role with training at a federal academy and a clear grade-progression career path.

• Conduct patrols, surveillance, and inspections along international boundaries and waterways.
• Detect and interview people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws and inspect relevant documents.
• Perform vehicle, building, farm, and transportation checks; use tactical surveillance (including night optics) when required.
• Track and interpret physical evidence (tracks, marks) and support interdiction and apprehension operations.
• Operate government vehicles and field assets (ATVs, boats, off-road vehicles, horses, motorcycles) as needed.
• Complete intensive training at the federal Border Patrol Academy and apply learned law‑enforcement techniques on duty.

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year (grade-dependent).
• Estimated example pay shown for this posting: $80,945 per year (estimated).
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 paid after Border Patrol Academy completion; additional $10,000 for accepting prioritized locations).
• Retention incentive: up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years (where eligible).
• Federal benefits: health, dental, life insurance, generous annual and sick leave, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (federal retirement/savings plan).
• Potential locality and pay differentials apply by duty location; fully trained BPAs may be eligible for additional locality pay (up to ~25% in some locations under applicable law).

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Locations & Duty Assignments

Duty assignments are determined at time of offer based on operational needs and may include Southwest Border and other mission-critical sectors. Relocation may be required.

Example mission-critical sectors (selection includes but is not limited to):

• Big Bend Sector (Presidio, Sierra Blanca, Sanderson, Marfa, Alpine)
• Del Rio, El Paso, El Centro, Tucson, Yuma, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, San Diego
• Other sectors across the U.S. (Buffalo, Grand Forks, Spokane, Swanton, Havre, Houlton, etc.)

Note: accepting a prioritized location may be tied to incentive eligibility. Grade progression is career-laddered (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12) with promotion eligibility after specified service periods.

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Qualifications

You may qualify at GL‑5 or GL‑7 depending on experience and/or education:

GL‑5 (entry criteria — one of the following):

• One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating responsibility, decision-making under stress, learning ability, and basic investigative or documentation skills; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (four-year); OR
• A combination of experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

GL‑7 (higher entry criteria — one of the following):

• One year of specialized experience demonstrating law-enforcement-related judgment, firearm decision-making, public contact in law-enforcement contexts, and rapid information analysis (examples: criminal enforcement, corrections, security, military police); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (class standing, GPA ≥ 3.0, or honor society) or one year of related graduate-level study; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

Candidates with prior civilian or military law-enforcement experience may qualify at GL-9 or GS-11; refer to relevant BPA announcements for those level qualifications.

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Other Requirements & Important Notices

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• U.S. primary residency required for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age/retirement rules: applicants must generally be referred before reaching their 40th birthday per applicable federal law-enforcement retirement provisions; exemptions may apply for certain prior federal civilian law-enforcement service or Veterans’ Preference eligibilities. These requirements are federal and job-specific.
• Formal training: selected candidates will attend approximately six months at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) for instruction in immigration law, enforcement operations, firearms, driving, physical techniques, and additional job-specific training; Spanish-language proficiency is encouraged and training is provided.
• This position is subject to background investigations, medical and fitness-for-duty standards, and other federal pre-employment checks.

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Duties & Responsibilities (Examples)

• Detect and question persons suspected of immigration or customs violations; inspect documents and possessions to identify violations.
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented noncitizens and smugglers near borders using covert and overt surveillance techniques.
• Interpret tracks, marks, and other evidence of illegal entry; conduct field investigations and site checks.
• Perform patrols on foot, vehicles, watercraft, or mounted assets and participate in multi-disciplinary operations.
• Follow federal policy and operational directives, maintain accurate incident reports, and coordinate with supporting agencies.

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What We’re Looking For

• Commitment to public service and to working in high‑impact, operational environments.
• Ability to learn quickly, follow formal training, and apply rules and procedures reliably.
• Sound judgment under pressure, strong interpersonal skills, and the capacity to work as part of a disciplined team.
• Willingness to relocate according to operational needs and to complete required academy training.

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Candidate Protections & Compliance

This posting is written to comply with U.S. federal hiring standards. If the role is posted in states with pay‑transparency laws, the posted salary range reflects known figures from the source announcement. No discriminatory criteria are applied; reasonable accommodations will be considered throughout the recruitment process per applicable law.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.