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 (Customs and Border Protection).

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

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Overview

Confidential Client is recruiting full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) to join federal law enforcement teams assigned across mission-critical border sectors. This role is a federal law enforcement career path with training at the Border Patrol Academy and a clear promotion ladder (GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12). Candidates with prior public safety, security, military police, or law enforcement experience may qualify for higher-grade placement.

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Salary & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed BPAs (GL-5 / GL-7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Estimated pay for this posting: $69,190 per year (estimate).
• Federal benefits package includes health and dental plans, generous annual and sick leave, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (retirement savings).
• Full-time employment; career-ladder promotions available after meeting time-in-grade requirements.

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Incentives & Duty Locations

• Recruitment Incentive: Up to $20,000 for newly appointed BPAs (first $10,000 paid after Academy graduation; remaining $10,000 for accepting a prioritized location).
• Retention Incentive: Eligible BPAs may qualify for up to $40,000 in additional incentives distributed over their first four years.
• Prioritized locations (examples): Sierra Blanca, Presidio, Sanderson, Comstock, Lordsburg (NM), Freer, Hebbronville, Ajo (AZ).
• Duty assignments may include the Southwest Border and other mission-critical sectors. Assignments are determined by operational needs; relocation may be required.
• Locality pay adjustments may apply; a fully trained BPA may be eligible for up to an additional 25% of base pay under applicable pay reform rules.

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Duties and Responsibilities

Typical BPA duties include:

• Detecting and questioning people suspected of violating immigration and customs laws; inspecting documents and possessions to determine citizenship or violations.
• Preventing and apprehending undocumented noncitizens and smugglers through surveillance and direct enforcement operations (including night operations with infrared systems).
• Interpreting and following tracks, marks, and other physical evidence of illegal entry or contraband movement.
• Performing farm checks, building checks, traffic checks, city patrols, and transportation checks.
• Patrolling international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, off-road vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles as required.

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Qualifications

You may qualify for GL-5 if you have one of the following:

• One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating decision-making, composure under stress, ability to learn regulations and techniques, and information-gathering skills; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of education and general work experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

You may qualify for GL-7 if you have one of the following:

• One (1) year of specialized work experience showing ability to make sound firearms judgments; deal tactfully with people in law enforcement contexts; rapidly analyze information and make decisions (e.g., criminal enforcement, corrections, security, military police); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (GPA, class standing, or honor society) OR one year of relevant graduate-level education; OR
• A combination of education and specialized experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

Note: Applicants with prior or current federal civilian law enforcement or military law enforcement experience may qualify at higher grades (GL-9 / GS-11). Placement is determined by qualification documentation.

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Other Requirements & Training

• Citizenship: U.S. citizenship required.
• Residency: Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years.
• Age: Candidates must be referred for selection before reaching their 40th birthday per applicable federal retirement provisions, unless exempt (e.g., certain prior federal civilian LEO service or Veterans’ Preference eligibility).
• Veterans’ Preference: Eligible veterans may qualify for special hiring authorities that affect age restrictions.
• Formal Training: Selected candidates attend the U.S. Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) for approximately six months of intensive instruction (immigration and nationality law, law enforcement operations, firearms, driver training, physical techniques, and Spanish language training). BPAs will receive language training to become proficient in Spanish where required.

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Career Progression & Notes

• This is a career-ladder position: promotion to the next grade occurs after successful completion of required time-in-grade (typically 52 weeks per grade).
• Duty location affects pay and locality; operational needs determine assignments at time of offer.
• This posting contains specific incentives and prioritized locations that may affect hiring offers and relocation requirements.
• Careertakes provides recruiting support for this opportunity; final employment decisions are made by the Confidential Client.

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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.